Atlanta Braves outfielder Kevin Pillar posted what seems to be a "goodbye" message on his social media on Sunday morning.
Pillar, 34, signed a one-year "split" or "two-way" contract in January, guaranteeing him a spot in the Minor Leagues as well as a $3M salary if he made the MLB roster. He in fact did that during spring training, and as the short-side of the left field platoon, batted .228/.248/.416 with 9 home runs and 32 RBIs in 206 plate appearances.
Playing in exactly half (81) of the team's 162 games in the regular season, Pillar started 34 games in left field, 6 in right field, and three in center, mostly when a left-handed starter was on the mound. He was a common pinch-hit option off the bench for Eddie Rosario in late-game scenarios with a lefty on the mound, but also was frequently pinch-hit for Rosario in games he started as soon as that lefty starter left the game.
Pillar also started two of Atlanta's four postseason games, both against Phillies starter Ranger Suarez, and went 0-5 in five at-bats (seven plate appearances), with two walks and three strikeouts.
Pillar provided some clutch hits, batting .261 with two outs and runners in scoring position and .324 in tie games, but also struggled to get on base at times, with only six walks on the season. His 74 OPS+ was the lowest for any player on the team with 100 or more plate appearances.
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