LANSING, Mich. -- Former Toro All-American Kevin Pillar was the heart and soul of the Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball team during his career in Carson. So it's only fitting that he's making a name for himself for the Lansing Lugnuts, the Class A minor league baseball team of the Toronto Blue Jays that's considered by many as the heart of Michigan.
MLive's Larry Hook recently caught up with Pillar, wo is amongst the Midwest League leaders in batting average and stolen bases this season. He tied a Lansing team record with six hits on May 12, with his sixth hit being a grand slam.
Larry Hook's feature on Kevin Pillar
Outfielder Kevin Pillar, 23, is in his first season with the Lansing Lugnuts, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The 6-foot, 205-pound right-handed hitter wears uniform No. 4.
A native of West Hills, Calif., Pillar attended Cal State University – Dominguez Hills, where he set an NCAA Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak in 2010. He was drafted by the Blue Jays' organization in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft.
Pillar recently answered MLive questions about baseball and other topics:
Q. What is your favorite thing about Lansing?
A. I guess it's (Cooley Law School) Stadium. This stadium is a huge upgrade from where we were last year (Bluefield, W.Va.). It's a cool place to call home. It's fun coming here, right in the heart of downtown Lansing. It's beautiful and the support has been awesome so far.
Q. What has been your most memorable baseball moment?
A. The 54-game hitting streak I had in 2010 that set the Division II record. That was just kind of a special year.
Q. How did your hitting streak end?
A. In our conference tournament against our rivals I grounded out, flew out, was intentionally walked and got hit by a pitch.
Q. What is your biggest baseball strength?
A. I pride myself on being someone you can pencil in the lineup every day. (Whether I'm) tired, sore or hurt, I'm going to come ready to compete every day. I'm the definition of a gamer: Cal Ripken-like, Pete Rose-like. I'm going to show up to play.
Q. Where do you feel a need to improve your game?
A. I played center field in college, so I'm making the adjustment to the corner outfield spots. It's not second-nature to me yet like center field.
Q. Who are your baseball idols?
A. Pete Rose and Cal Ripken. Ripken, because he played every day, and Pete Rose because he went 110 percent no matter what. … And being from L.A., I look up to (Dodger) Matt Kemp, because he's a guy who can do it all. He's got all five tools and he's a guy we all strive to be like.
Q. What is your favorite sport besides baseball?
A. Basketball. I played football and basketball in high school. I grew up in kind of a basketball household. My brother played basketball, so baseball was always kind of secondary growing up because I wanted to play basketball and be like him.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. Recreational sports, going to the lake, wakeboarding, snowboarding, going to the beach and just hanging out with friends – typical Southern California stuff.
Q. What is your favorite movie of all-time?
A. "Life is a House." It's about a guy who gets cancer and doesn't spend a lot of time with his kids. He decides to build a dream house before he dies. It's his way of spending time with his kids before he passes away. It's a good movie. It's from the early '90s.
Q. What kind of music do you listen to?
A. I'm a big country music fan and I also like acoustic rock and old rock. If I had to pick a favorite I'd probably say Jason Aldean or the Zac Brown Band.
Q. What are your favorite foods?
A. I like teriyaki chicken and brown rice.
Q. Do you have a nickname?
A. Just K.P.
Q. Who has been your biggest baseball influence?
A. My college head coach Murphy Su'a. He took me in out of high school when I didn't really have a place to go. He believed in me and … pushed me to work harder and got me to this spot that I'm at now. He's been a huge influence on my career, and I still stay in touch with him.
