Ex-Blue Jays fan favourite has surprisingly become MLB's hottest hitter

Only two months ago, it appeared that former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar may have played his final MLB game.

The 35-year-old was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox after hitting just .160 through 17 games. Having bounced around on several teams in recent years, it seemed to be the end for the man dubbed “Superman” by Blue Jays fans.

Instead, the Los Angeles Angels chose to sign Pillar to a one-year deal, and it has been paying off better than anyone could have possibly imagined.

what the hell is going on pic.twitter.com/1r5YOnAsqD

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) May 27, 2024

Pillar has been on fire with the Angels, hitting an MLB-best .407 amongst all players with at least 50 plate appearances. He’s also racked up four home runs and 18 RBIs through only 16 games with the Angels. With the White Sox, he had just one home run and four RBIs, further proving just how hot his bat is right now.

Despite Pillar’s unbelievable turnaround, he still has yet to earn an everyday playing role with the Angels, though that should soon change if he can keep this up. At the very least, he has helped provide some life to an Angels team that is struggling yet again this season with a 20-33 record through 53 games.

Kevin Pillar has been UNREAL with the Angels. pic.twitter.com/zPTFZlwN9S

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 22, 2024

What makes this late-career resurgence all the more impressive is that, even in his prime, Pillar was never known as a great hitter. His bread and butter was his fielding, which included several highlight reel catches, particularly during his time with the Blue Jays.

While Pillar’s numbers are almost certain to regress at some point, he deserves a ton of credit for battling back after it appeared his career was in jeopardy.

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