Angels Veteran Outfielder May Have Hinted About Future Plans

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 7, 2024

Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Pillar celebrated 10 years of service on Saturday in Chicago when the Los Angeles Angels beat the Cubs 7-0 at Wrigley Field and he has done it unconventionally.

The veteran outfielder has defied the odds as only seven percent of Major League Baseball players reach the milestone. For Pillar, his accomplishment means more than just 10 years in the league.

“The essence of 10 years is you're fully invested in your pension, but to us baseball players, it’s more,” said Pillar, who wore a suit to the ballpark. “The epitome of the service-time mark you reach is to know that you've really accomplished something very rare in this game. Ten years is kind of like the marker that you’ve been able to survive this game and endure this game.”

Thank you to everyone who reached out today. It means the world to me and I can’t thank you enough for making me feel special. Much love to everyone. pic.twitter.com/EUGEpQEiut

— Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) July 6, 2024

Surprisingly, PIllar told reporters before the game that he is likely to retire at the end of this season. He’s reached all the milestones he was aiming for this season, getting his 1,000th hit and scoring his 500th run on May 19 at Texas, and getting his 100th career stolen base on May 15.

He’s one of just 17 active players with at least 100 career homers, 100 stolen bases, 1,000 hits, and 500 runs scored. While the statistics are great, Pillar wants his career to be defined by more than what he did on the field.

“I think this is it,” he said. “Pretty sure this is it. I was pretty open and honest about that answer. I definitely came in this year. Individually wanting to accomplish things. Ten years being one of them, a couple of statistical accomplishments.

“But it’s been an unbelievable journey to have accomplished so much in this game. My family sacrificed a lot over the last couple of years. I would never rule out continuing to play, but I definitely want to have the mindset that, if this is it, I was going to enjoy every single day, the good, the bad, the ugly, the successes, the failures. Just really dive all in and enjoy whatever happened.”