Let's talk about Kevin Pillar (2016 and beyond)

[hyper316]

Kevin Pillar has been stellar for us defensively in the outfield LF and CF. For a guy that was slotted to be the 4th OF with Michael Saunders trade and Pompey in opening day lineup, he has pleasantly surprised us. Offensively, Pillar is fitting his role being bottom of the lineup type of hitter. I just wished he can bunt a bit better.

So, is everyone happy to see Kevin Pillar being an everyday play (LF or CF) going forward after this season, or back to being a 4th OF?

Depth Chart in 2016 (at the moment)
LF: Revere, Saunders, Pillar
CF: Pillar, Pompey
RF: Bautista, Pompey

Kevin Pillars' stats for 2015 Season
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pillake01.shtml

408 AB
53 runs
107 hits
21 BB
62 SO
7 HRs
39 RBIs
.262 BA
.300 OBP
.373 SLG
.672 OPS
3.1 WAR

[DonYon]

There's no pressure to make a decision on him long term. We can just give him the Peter Bourjos treatment unless he miraculously becomes an above average hitter.

[dagger]

Replacing Pillar in centre field when he is making minimum money will not be a priority in 2016. Ben Revere is a better question, because his arb money will be several times what Pillar is making. There is Michael Saunders, and his arb money and health. Pompey might take someone's place, probably should, but there should be a financial saving because the team is going to have to pay for pitching. There is no pitching coming out of the minors until 2017. Also, potential replacements beyond Pompey - notably Anthony Alford - won't be ready for 2016.

[SharoneWright]

Let's not talk about Pillar beyond this year....

In fact, I'm warming to a Pompey/Saunders playoff outfield over the void that is Pillar/Revere.

[Lateral Quicks]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

[North_of_Border]

Let Saunders or Pompey or whom ever EARN the spot. Thats how Pillar got their. If he is pushed aside, it shouldnt be just because the other guys are more recognizable names.

Pompey looks like the future, but he hasen't earned anything that would be enough to trash Pillar. He is Canadian though. Same goes for Saunders.

Let them dual it out in the preseason. Keep the best man for the job. Thats how the Jays are gonna win.

[Santoki]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

Didn't we ditch Rajai Davis and his, correct me if I'm wrong, ~$6 million contract because he was only going to be a 4th OF? Are the Jays going to be willing to pay Revere the approximately $4 million he may make in arb?

These are rough figures but the Jays have a history of using a cheaper option as their 4th OF.

[EastBayBoy]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

Didn't we ditch Rajai Davis and his, correct me if I'm wrong, ~$6 million contract because he was only going to be a 4th OF? Are the Jays going to be willing to pay Revere the approximately $4 million he may make in arb?

These are rough figures but the Jays have a history of using a cheaper option as their 4th OF.

its just not smart to have close to 4 mil sitting on the bench as a 4th OF. Could better allocate those same dollars in areas of more need ( SPs) as Estrada, buehrle, price are all slated to be FAs and having to decide what to do with Hutchinson, since hes forgotten how to pitch.

[Boogie!]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

why does everyone hate revere?

he's a better hitter with better speed than both saunders and pompey and is a decent fielder... and he's still only 26... i don't understand what the issue is...

especially considering saunders is super injury prone and pompey hasnt proven to be consistent at the major league level...

[rarefind]

Not sure why everyone is willing to pass on Revere. He's a legit speed threat with a history of success at the plate. Saunders is probably the odd man out but I could see Revere flipped for a pitcher as he will have pretty decent value. Personally, I'd peg Revere ahead of Pillar on fixtures in the outfield that I'd want to see in 2016. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean I wouldn't want Pillar back either but I don't think his success this year alone locks him into any sort of guaranteed job. It isn't a bad problem to have, but be sure of one thing. Ben Revere is not a 4th outfielder by any means.

[Schad]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

Didn't we ditch Rajai Davis and his, correct me if I'm wrong, ~$6 million contract because he was only going to be a 4th OF? Are the Jays going to be willing to pay Revere the approximately $4 million he may make in arb?

These are rough figures but the Jays have a history of using a cheaper option as their 4th OF.

Revere's likely to make even more...probably $6m in arb, because he'll be in year three of Super-2 progression and is making $4.1m this season.

He's been more than worth that, but if payroll remains flattish, it wouldn't be a shock to see him flipped to open up a bit of cash for the pitching staff.

[Lateral Quicks]

Revere is not a better hitter than Saunders. And while it remains to be seen, I doubt he's a better hitter than Pompey, either. Don't be fooled by his average. He doesn't walk or hit for any power.

Defensively, Saunders is just fine in LF. Pompey has the potential to be above average in LF or CF.

[Jays4WS]

Revere is not a better hitter than Saunders. And while it remains to be seen, I doubt he's a better hitter than Pompey, either. Don't be fooled by his average. He doesn't walk or hit for any power.

Defensively, Saunders is just fine in LF. Pompey has the potential to be above average in LF or CF.

In what aspect? Revere has a higher Average and OBP career then Saunders. In fact there OPS is almost identical as well. Saunders walks slightly more then Revere, but Revere strikes out way less then Saunders. No metric shows Saunders is the better hitter.

Revere:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reverbe01.shtml

Saunders:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/saundmi01.shtml

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

why does everyone hate revere?

he's a better hitter with better speed than both saunders and pompey and is a decent fielder... and he's still only 26... i don't understand what the issue is...

especially considering saunders is super injury prone and pompey hasnt proven to be consistent at the major league level...

A guy who hits .300 but doesn't walk or hit for ANY power is not a good hitter. He's fine, and allows us to be patient with Pompey, which is nice. But it would be an absolute shock if Pompey wasn't better than him offensively and defensively as early as next year.

Pillar's month of June is starting to look more like an aberration than the result of a huge adjustment. But his defence is good enough that a season of terrible hitting with a couple of hot streaks still makes him a good option to start in centre, and I see no reason to look to replace him at this point.

[dagger]

Unless Pillar just collapses offensively, it's Revere I question more in 2016. I'd prefer Saunders or Pompey out there over Revere. Perhaps keep Revere around as a fourth outfielder to see if Saunders and/or Pompey can handle the full-time job.

why does everyone hate revere?

he's a better hitter with better speed than both saunders and pompey and is a decent fielder... and he's still only 26... i don't understand what the issue is...

especially considering saunders is super injury prone and pompey hasnt proven to be consistent at the major league level...

A guy who hits .300 but doesn't walk or hit for ANY power is not a good hitter. He's fine, and allows us to be patient with Pompey, which is nice. But it would be an absolute shock if Pompey wasn't better than him offensively and defensively as early as next year.

Pillar's month of June is starting to look more like an aberration than the result of a huge adjustment. But his defence is good enough that a season of terrible hitting with a couple of hot streaks still makes him a good option to start in centre, and I see no reason to look to replace him at this point.

I prefer to let Pillar's replacement come organically, in good time. Anthony Alford looks like he's going to be a multi-tool major leaguer, and we just have to be patient. Pompey might be better in LF or as Jose's eventual replacement in RF. Revere had the speed to play CF but like we saw with Pompey, Philly didn't like his instincts and responses in CF and moved him to LF. He's not a Pillar replacement.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Revere is not a better hitter than Saunders. And while it remains to be seen, I doubt he's a better hitter than Pompey, either. Don't be fooled by his average. He doesn't walk or hit for any power.

Defensively, Saunders is just fine in LF. Pompey has the potential to be above average in LF or CF.

In what aspect? Revere has a higher Average and OBP career then Saunders. In fact there OPS is almost identical as well. Saunders walks slightly more then Revere, but Revere strikes out way less then Saunders. No metric shows Saunders is the better hitter.

Revere:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reverbe01.shtml

Saunders:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/saundmi01.shtml

I'm not sure what you're looking at, but Saunders is pretty clearly a better hitter than Revere. You need to factor in power numbers as well, and by both wOBA and wRC+ he's a superior hitter. That being said Revere's speed and, most importantly, ability to stay healthy probably makes him more valuable.

[Raptor_Guy]

With Pompey, Saunders, Revere and Bautista I don't see how Pillar can continue to be the starting CF beyond this year. He'll serve as a defensive replacement/hit vs. lefties kinda guy.

[Schad]

With Pompey, Saunders, Revere and Bautista I don't see how Pillar can continue to be the starting CF beyond this year. He'll serve as a defensive replacement/hit vs. lefties kinda guy.

Pillar's the only one of the bunch who can play an adequate-or-better center field, though. I'm no fan of his bat, but on a team loaded with offensive-minded players, a defense-first CF is a reasonable carry.

Pompey might in time be a good enough CF himself, but this season's results weren't terribly promising, though his bat could be good enough to work as an above-average LF. Saunders/Revere on the other hand simply aren't good enough defensively in CF.

[Jays4WS]

Revere is not a better hitter than Saunders. And while it remains to be seen, I doubt he's a better hitter than Pompey, either. Don't be fooled by his average. He doesn't walk or hit for any power.

Defensively, Saunders is just fine in LF. Pompey has the potential to be above average in LF or CF.

In what aspect? Revere has a higher Average and OBP career then Saunders. In fact there OPS is almost identical as well. Saunders walks slightly more then Revere, but Revere strikes out way less then Saunders. No metric shows Saunders is the better hitter.

Revere:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reverbe01.shtml

Saunders:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/saundmi01.shtml

I'm not sure what you're looking at, but Saunders is pretty clearly a better hitter than Revere. You need to factor in power numbers as well, and by both wOBA and wRC+ he's a superior hitter. That being said Revere's speed and, most importantly, ability to stay healthy probably makes him more valuable.

Power wise he's the better hitter yes, it's pretty obvious.

[Raptor_Guy]

With Pompey, Saunders, Revere and Bautista I don't see how Pillar can continue to be the starting CF beyond this year. He'll serve as a defensive replacement/hit vs. lefties kinda guy.

Pillar's the only one of the bunch who can play an adequate-or-better center field, though. I'm no fan of his bat, but on a team loaded with offensive-minded players, a defense-first CF is a reasonable carry.

Pompey might in time be a good enough CF himself, but this season's results weren't terribly promising, though his bat could be good enough to work as an above-average LF. Saunders/Revere on the other hand simply aren't good enough defensively in CF.

Not that I disagree, but if we're going to carry Pillar as a regular centre fielder then what do we do with Pompey, Saunders and Revere?