VIDEO: Kevin Pillar Shows How He Makes Five-Star Catches

On Opening Day 2015, Kevin Pillar wasn’t even the Toronto Blue Jays starting centre fielder. He began the season in left field, dabbled with a few games in right, and then on April 25th 2015, he played centre field and never looked back.

In less than two years, Pillar has built a reputation as one of the best defenders in all of baseball. In a very short time, Kevin Pillar has honed his craft in the outfield and has become a huge run-prevention asset for the Blue Jays.

In order to be one of the best defenders, you have to have a few tricks up your sleeve. So Kevin Pillar chatted with Dan Plesac when MLB Network came to visit at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium earlier this week.


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Pillar shares how he patrols the outfield and what helps him make his signature five-star catches.
 

 
This wasn’t quite as deep as a dive into fielding as Josh Donaldson did with hitting during his segment with Mark DeRosa, but Kevin Pillar gave me a new appreciation for the reaction time and the footwork required to play centre field in the big leagues.

Ian Hunter

Ian has been writing about the Toronto Blue Jays since 2007. He enjoyed the tail-end of the Roy Halladay era and vividly remembers the Alex Rodriguez "mine" incident. He'll also retell the story of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS to his kids for the next 20 years.