By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
After announcing the signing earlier this week, the Red Sox and Kevin Pillar finalized a one-year, $4.25 million deal Friday morning according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Pillar is already with the team in Fort Myers, ahead of their first full-team workout on Monday.
The Red Sox are Pillar’s third team in two years. He spent the first five games of last season with the Toronto Blue Jays before being traded to the San Francisco Giants. In total, he played 161 games in 2019, hitting .259 with 21 home runs and 88 RBIs. Prior to being traded last April, he had spent the first six years of his MLB career in Toronto.
Pillar is known for both his ability on the bases and his glove. Last year, he stole 14 bases on 19 tries, and has a career success rate of 75.5 percent. Defensively, he is a perennial Gold Glove finalist and regular feature on the SportsCenter Top 10. Primarily a center fielder, he played 27 games in right field last year for the Giants, a career high.
Having spent more than half a decade with the Blue Jays, Pillar is familiar with Fenway Park, and has found success there. He’s a career .307 hitter in Boston in 47 games, and has hit more doubles at (10) Fenway than in any road park in his career.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Hate mail? Let him hear it on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at Alexander.Barth@bbgi.com.