White Sox sign former SF Giants outfielder, Willie Mac Award winner

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a minor-league deal with former SF Giants outfielder, and 2019 Willie Mac Award winner, Kevin Pillar.
White Sox sign former SF Giants outfielder, Willie Mac Award winner
White Sox sign former SF Giants outfielder, Willie Mac Award winner /

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a minor-league contract with former SF Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar, according to a report by Steven Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. Per Adams, Pillar will receive a $3 million base salary if he cracks the team's Opening Day roster. An 11-year MLB veteran, Pillar has played in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays, Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta.

SF Giants center fielder Kevin Pillar runs to first base after hitting an RBI single against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Oracle Park. (2019)
SF Giants CF Kevin Pillar runs to first base after hitting an RBI single. (2019) / Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports

Pillar was Atlanta's primary fourth outfielder this past season, hitting .228/.248/.416 with 10 doubles, nine home runs, and four stolen bases in 206 plate appearances. Pillar appeared in exactly half of Atlanta's games (81), primarily in left field. Once an elite defensive center fielder, Pillar has seen time in center across recent seasons, but is no longer a great defensive option there.

Pillar spent the first several years of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, who drafted him in the 32nd round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Cal State Dominguez Hills. Debuting with the team in 2013, the righty's penchant for impressive defensive plays carried him to an everyday role as the Blue Jays center fielder by 2015. From 2015-2018, Pillar hit .263/.301/.401 with 50 home runs and 68 stolen bases.

With Pillar's defense beginning to show signs of decline, the Blue Jays traded him to the Giants for a package of three players (Derek Law, Allen Hansen, and Jorge De Paula) early in the 2019 season. While the 2019 Giants would finish well below .500, Pillar was one of their few consistent contributors. Despite spending the first week of the season in Toronto, Pillar still appeared in 156 games with the Giants, recording a .264/.293/.442 triple-slash with 37 doubles, three triples, and 21 home runs. His performance stood out to his teammates as well, earning him the lauded Willie Mac Award.

Even though Pillar had been a sizable contributor, the Giants non-tendered him following the season to avoid paying him a salary around $10 million in his final season of arbitration eligibility. Pillar ultimately signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Red Sox and had an even better offensive season in 54 games between the Red Sox and Rockies during the pandemic-shortened campaign.

Pillar subsequently inked a one-year, $2.9 million contract with the Mets, the last time he received a big-league contract through free agency. Pillar was a perfectly fine role player, posting a .231/.277/.415 line with 15 home runs in 347 plate appearances (124 games). However, his declining defensive ability made it harder to justify giving him an everyday role.

In the seasons since, Pillar has inked minor league deals with the Dodgers and Atlanta. He appeared in just four big-league games during the 2022 season with the Dodgers before landing in Atlanta last offseason. Now, Kevin Pillar will look to earn a role with the White Sox in spring training.


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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).