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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Kevin Pillar played for the two worst teams in the American League in 2024. In between his stints with the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, the 36-year-old outfielder briefly retired to his home in Texas.
The White Sox set a modern MLB record by losing 122 games. The Angels lost 99 — a franchise record — making them the second-worst team in the American League last year.
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Pillar returned after contemplating retirement again and made the Texas Rangers' Opening Day roster as a non-roster invitee.
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In an interview with MLB.com, Pillar noted the stark difference in playing for a team like the Rangers, who are two years removed from winning the first championship in franchise history, and the feeling of playing for the White Sox and Angels last year.
"I wanted to be on a winning team," Pillar told Kennedi Landry. "Baseball is already really difficult. It's even more difficult when you feel like the only thing you're really playing for is yourself. You tend to put a lot of unnecessary pressure on performance when you know, ultimately, the outcome is probably going to be a loss."
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Under veteran manager Brucy Bochy, Pillar is splitting the center field duties in a platoon with Leody Taveras to start the season.
"You try to control things you control, and a lot of that is your individual performance," he said. "When you come into a place like this where the expectation is to win every single day, the focus on you becomes way less. I think for me, that's a perfect place for me to be as I just go out and do my job, be one of nine guys and not be so concerned about what I did, but how I can help this team win a game."
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The Rangers believe Pillar can help them get back to the World Series after they missed the postseason altogether in 2024. He slashed .310/.352/.500 against left-handed pitching last year. Their center fielders combined to slash .237/.302/.388 in 2024, a 96 wRC+.
Pillar is a veteran of 13 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves before splitting last season between Chicago and Anaheim.
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