ANAHEIM — Kevin Pillar’s wife and kids and his parents have all been at Angel Stadium this weekend.
Just in case.
The Angels 35-year-old outfielder has said consistently that he’s leaning toward retiring at the end of the season, but he’s also never shut the door entirely on playing again.
Before the final game of the season on Sunday, he said he was going to approach the game as if it’s his last, even if it might not be.
“Do I still believe I could play this game? Do I think I could go into the offseason and become a better version of myself, even at 35? Absolutely,” Pillar said. “But I feel like I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t at least understand this could potentially be the last one, and enjoy the moment.”
Pillar, who reached 10 years of big league service this season, was released by the Chicago White Sox in April, but Mike Trout’s injury opened the door for the Angels to sign him.
For a while, he enjoyed a career renaissance. He was one of the Angels most productive players, quickly developing into a favorite among his teammates and the fans.
Later, in the season, though, he slumped. Pillar headed into the final day with a .231 average and .674 OPS.
As he considers whether he wants to try to come back next season, he hears from his wife and kids all the time.
“It changes all the time,” he said. “Obviously when my wife has some tough days at home by herself with the kids, she really looks forward to the days of me being home and being able to co-parent our kids full time. When I’m on road trips for four to eight days, my kids start to miss me and sometimes cry and wish I was home.
“And then there’s days like the last couple days, where I go to the field and my kids are super excited to come and watch me play and go to the family room and kind of enjoy all the perks of playing.”
Pillar said he rode home from the ballpark with his father on Saturday night, and they discussed the whole journey, from Chaminade High in West Hills to Cal State Dominguez Hills to 13 years as a professional with nine organizations.
“I don’t know if it’s the end,” Pillar said, “but if it’s the end, we were just talking about, did I ever think I was gonna get here? No. Did I accomplish more than I ever thought I would accomplish? Absolutely.”
CAMPERO’S MOMENT
Gustavo Campero couldn’t fully enjoy his first big league homer on Saturday night, because later in the night he made a key defensive mistake that led to the run that cost the Angels the game.
A day later, though, he could still take some satisfaction in his three-run homer.
“It feels amazing,” said Campero, who spent seven years in the minors before his big league debut earlier this month. “That moment is an amazing feeling.”
Campero, 27, was a catcher for most of his minor league career, but he made the move to the outfield this season. He said this winter he’s going to work on playing various infield positions, to add to his versatility.
NOTES
Only eight players made it through the entire season on the active roster (or paternity list): catchers Logan O’Hoppe and Matt Thaiss, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, shortstop Zach Neto and pitchers Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning. …
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O’Hoppe, who did not start on Sunday, finishes his season with an 11-for-23 stretch that brought his average up to .244 and his OPS to .712. He hit .103 with a .355 OPS over the previous 34 games. “Part of what I was thinking during that tough month and a half was wondering if it’s still in there,” O’Hoppe said. “You get in the box and you’re just like, Man, I’m not feeling or doing the same things I was. I’m going to work to have a long career ahead of me, but when you’re in that moment, it’s tough to see. So I’m happy to see (a good finish), because I do feel like myself again and doing things I’ve done in the past.”
