Toronto Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar demotion from leadoff spot long overdue

Kevin Pillar has finally been demoted from the Toronto Blue Jays leadoff spot, being replaced by Jose Bautista. This decision seems long overdue, as the centrefielder has been in an offensive free fall for over a month.

Pillar’s decline coincides with his two-game suspension for a homophobic outburst against Atlanta Braves pitcher Jason Motte. Before that incident, the Toronto Blue Jays‘ outfielder was batting .305/.357/.497. Since then he has hit just .178 and is batting .253/.305/.407 for the season.

Whether his rapid decline is because of the public backlash, or whether he’s simply regressing to his career averages – we can only speculate.

Pillar did apologize for his actions on May 17. The next day he tweeted:

Pillar was one of the few bright spots for the Jays up until that point. When almost all of Toronto’s starters were either struggling or injured, he took hold of the leadoff spot on April 14 and ran with it.

Some saw this as the 28-year old finally reaching his potential. Pillar was a .324 career hitter in 1,652 at bats in the minors and had a .367 on base percentage during that time. But he had never come close to those numbers in the majors.

He was given the leadoff job straight out of training camp last season. Despite batting .263 with an unimpressive .288 OBP in 57 spring at bats, Pillar was handed leadoff duties.

He struggled through the team’s first 12 games in 2016, batting .188, with a .235 OBP and was eventually replaced by Michael Saunders.

The leadoff spot has been a weakness for Toronto over the past few seasons. There has been a revolving door of players including Bautista, Devon Travis, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere tried in the spot – but none have stuck.

After failing to sign free agent Dexter Fowler in the off-season, Toronto entered 2017 again without a clear leadoff candidate. The 30-year old was coming off a season in which he hit .276 with a .393 OBP for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

After manager John Gibbons made the announcement about Pillar’s demotion, he was given a much needed night off (although he did come in off the bench after the Steve Pearce injury).

He had not had a day off since his suspension, but with the suddenly hot-hitting Pearce and Dwight Smith Jr., Gibbons obviously saw an opportunity to rest his struggling outfielder.

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Pillar appeared in the sixth slot on Thursday afternoon and went 2-for-4, in Toronto’s 11-4 loss to the Rangers.

Bautista has gone 2-for-7, with three walks in his return to the leadoff spot (.500 OBP).

But the 36-year old slugger is not the long term solution for the Jays lineup. If he remains in Toronto after 2017 it will be for his ability to hit home runs, not because of his OBP.

Some see Travis as the natural long-term leadoff man. His career .291 average is intriguing, but his inability to stay healthy may force Toronto to find a reliable alternative.

The solution may be found in Anthony Alford or Smith Jr.. Both have put up solid numbers in the minors this season and Smith has excelled so far in a very small sample size for Toronto.

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Smith would presumably have the inside track for this season, with Alford being considered the long-term solution. If Bautista struggles and Smith continues to hit, the Jays may have to consider the 24-year old rookie. And Pillar is back where he probably belongs in the back half of the order.