Pillar at centre of Jays’ new culture

The far corner of the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse here is populated with the veteran stars of the team.

Jose Bautista, before he left for the World Baseball Classic, has the most space. A couple of stalls up is Josh Donaldson and along that same back wall Troy Tulowitzki, Kevin Pillar and others also hang their hats.

But rather than a closed shop clique, Pillar says the leadership group of various ages and personalities has been a motivational force to what the team is hoping will be another serious run to the post-season. If there’s a competition in that corner, it’s to push the collective to be even better and to encourage younger players to inherit the competitive drive.

“That’s a little bit of the culture change we’ve had around here,” Pillar said. “Whether it’s been a Donaldson or (Russell Martin) or Tulo or Bats (Bautista) or myself or any other guy ... we’re always challenging each other to be great.”

You can see it around the batting cage most days. Punctuated with the occasional burst of foul-mouthed jocularity, but the peer pressure is clearly positive. If Tulowitzki is the quiet leader, Donaldson is often the more verbose. Bautista is the veteran and Pillar one of those eager to be part of the group and to advance his game to another level.

So far, it’s been a productive spring for the 28-year-old centrefielder, who had surgery to his left thumb after the Jays were eliminated in the ALCS. The off-season was spent with weeks of what he called “tedious” rehab to repair torn ligaments with the remainder of the offseason focused on being able to grip the bat without pain or uncertainty.

In 29 plate appearances, Pillar has collected 10 hits and five walks for a solid .517 on-base percentage.

As Pillar puts in his work toward what he hopes will be a healthy and productive season, he takes pride in including himself in that leadership group. A Gold Glove finalist last season, he believes he has more to offer.

And even with the absence of Bautista and Marcus Stroman at the WBC plus Donaldson and Devon Travis recuperating from injury, Pillar is enthused by what he sees.

“We’re not so concerned about the results right now,” Pillar said. “We understand the process. We understand what it takes to get to the postseason. It’s just a matter of us collectively staying on the same page.”