Mets sign OF Kevin Pillar to a one-year deal

February 22nd, 2021

FLUSHING, N.Y. -- The New York Mets today announced that the club has signed outfielder Kevin Pillar to a one-year deal. In a corresponding move, outfielder Guillermo Heredia was designated for assignment.

The 6-0, 200-pounder split the 2020 season between the Red Sox and Rockies and hit a combined .288/.336/.462 with 34 runs, 12 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 26 RBI and five steals. The right-handed hitter batted .342 (26-76) with a .969 OPS against southpaws last season.

Pillar has played parts of eight years in the major leagues with the Blue Jays, Giants, Red Sox and Rockies. He owns a career .262/.299/.408 slash line with 419 runs, 205 doubles, 13 triples, 82 home runs, 344 RBI and 88 steals. He owns a .286/.320/.464 slash line against left-handed pitching.

Prior to the 2020 season, Pillar had played in at least 140 games in five consecutive seasons. He was a Gold Glove Award finalist each season from 2015-2017. Since 2015, Pillar is tied for 10th among major league outfielders with 50 defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs. In addition, since 2018, he owns the 10th-highest BsR (FanGraphs’ all-encompassing base-running metric) among qualified hitters at 12.4.

The 32-year-old was originally selected by Toronto in the 32nd round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of California State University, Dominguez Hills.