National Post (National Edition)
Blue Jays tout need for solid start
With a long winter to digest the nightmare of 2017, Kevin Pillar now feels there is a need to atone.
He is talking about it while looking at the baby monster out in left field at Jetblue Park, a vivid enough reminder that the Boston Red Sox are a 19-time opponent once again.
And as he speaks, it’s not lost on the Blue Jays centrefielder that opening day is precisely two weeks away.
Dismissed by so many, thanks to the off-season additions by both the Red Sox and Yankees, Pillar believes the Jays have something to prove. He’s also convinced that another playoff push is notoutofthequestion.
“I would say there’s a little more sense of urgency, especially knowing the type of start we got off to last year,” Pillar said on Thursday prior to the Jays’ 7-5 loss to starter David Price and the Sox.
“We’re not going to go into opening day like it’s make it or break it. It’s not the World Series, but we also understand how difficult it was to get out of a pretty significant hole we put ourselves in at the beginning of last year.”
Damned near impossible, as it turned out after an 8-17 April start turned into a season that never even reached the .500 mark, let alone playoff contention.
“I think it was humbling a little for us,” Pillar said.
“We were the team to beat in the division after having back-to-back ALCS appearances but with that, every team in our division’s gotten better too. So yeah, we understand the importance of getting off to a good start.”
There’s another matter on hand as well.
Players are not blind to the machinations of a front office that is clearly headed toward a younger look.
Jose Bautista is gone a year after Edwin Encarnacion and even though a bulk of the core remains in place, it won’t be for long. The current Jays are not immune to the talk of prospects Vlad Gurrerro and Bo Bichette and the rest of the young guns and they believe there is enough talent for another run while the gang’s all here.
“We’re understanding where certain guys on our roster stand in terms of reaching free agency next year and understanding that our window of opportunity is right now to win some games and get to where we want to get to,” Pillar said.
“I definitely feel that we have a little more sense of urgency and a better understanding of how important it is to get off to a good start.”
Like many of his teammates suffering through last season’s abomination, Pillar kept a brave face until late summer, gamely believing the Jays were one extended run from getting in contention. Unfortunately, the injuries came more regularly than the rallies and it never materialized.
“We couldn’t help that the injury bug got us last year,” Pillar said.
“It was a lot for us to overcome. I think we used 14 different starting pitchers and it seemed like we had a rotating door at some positions. We know we’re better than that. Hopefully some of the things that we went through last year from a team standpoint, having so many guys come up and play in the big leagues, will help us this year.”
Pillar did his part in the off-season, shedding 15 pounds (to get to a fighting weight of 200), a leaner look he hopes will result in a more athletic approach at the plate.
“He looks like he used to look,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Last year he was a little bulked up. That works for some guys but it can slow you down a bit. I think he looks great.”
He has indeed. Prior to an 0-for-4 outing on Thursday, Pillar was hitting a heady .520 with 13 hits in 25 at bats.
“I think losing some of the weight has allowed my body to get in some positions that some of the more elite hitters have been able to get to a little bit easier,” Pillar said. “It’s allowing me to be a little more consistent thus far.”