Former SF Giants Willie Mac Award winner calls it a career after 13 seasons

Former SF Giants Willie Mac Award winner Kevin Pillar has decided to retire after 13 MLB seasons. The 36-year-old played for ten different MLB teams in his career including one season with the Giants in 2019.

Pillar spent the first six seasons of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays. He began 2019 with Toronto as well but the Giants swung a trade for him early in the season when it became abundantly clear that the team needed some more talent in their outfield.

For those curious, the Giants sent pitcher Derek Law and infielder Alen Hanson to Toronto in exchange for Pillar. Hanson only played in 18 games for Toronto in 2019 and has not appeared in the big leagues since. Law has bounced around and last pitched for the Nationals in 2024.

Former SF Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar retires after 13 MLB seasons

Pillar wound up being a beacon of consistency for the Giants that season. He played in 156 games and slashed .264/.293/.442 with 21 home runs and 87 runs batted in. His consistency and solid play earned him the Willie Mac Award in 2019.

The Giants made a somewhat controversial decision to non-tender Pillar after 2019. He went on to bounce around from team to team after that, playing for the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodger, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Texax Rangers.

He appeared in 20 games for the Rangers this season and slashed .209/.209/.256 with one run batted in. Texas decided to release the veteran at the end of May.

It was a little bit of a surprise to see Pillar play this year since he suggested last season that 2024 was going to be his last one. He changed his mind in the offseason and the Rangers decided to take a chance on him.

For his career, Pillar slashed .255/.293/.405 with 114 home runs and 469 RBI along with 111 stolen bases. Pillar never won a Gold Glove Award, but he had a well-earned reputation for being a good defender. Just last season he made an incredible diving catch.

In all, Pillar had a very solid career and he was a good Giant during his one season in San Francisco back in 2019. We at Around the Foghorn congratulate Pillar on his great career and wish him nothing but the best in retirement.