Pillar looks to move family out of L.A.

Blue Jays centre fielder Kevin Pillar was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, and still lives in Thousand Oaks.

But just like his fellow Angeleno, Marco Estrada, who grew up in the L.A. suburb of Sylmar, Pillar has decided he has had enough of the city and is going to move — likely to Arizona, where Estrada now lives.

Pillar already sold his home and will decide this year exactly where he and his family — wife Amanda and their baby daughter Kobie Rae — will relocate, but it is likely somewhere in Arizona. Pillar said the move is partially for financial reasons (California has a high tax rate and real estate in the L.A. area is expensive), but also because he wants his daughter to grow up in a safer, less hectic environment.

“As you get older, you become a little more aware of things that

are going on. You see a lot more things. When you have a kid, you start thinking about what type of environment you want to raise them in,” said Pillar. “The area we live in is an area where me and my wife feel like kids don’t stay kids very long. They grow up very fast. You want to ideally raise them in a place where kids can be kids and they can stay kids as long as possible, they learn manners, and they’re taught some discipline.

“In California it’s not the norm

anymore. You have to think of safety now for your kids. When I grew up, it was a great place to grow up, mostly because of the weather but also because it was a really safe place to be. I could get out and hop on my bike and ride to my friend’s house. The thought of our daughter doing that many years down the line is a scary thought. Those are all the different factors that come in our decision to move.”