Kevin Pillar was selected in the 32nd round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and went on to play 695 games in a Jays uniform before he was dealt to the San Francisco Giants.

Shortly after the trade was made official, Pillar met with the Toronto media one last time before packing his bags for San Francisco and had a tough time holding back the tears during his scrum.
 

It’s been nearly one week since Pillar was officially traded to San Francisco and on Monday afternoon he shared a lengthy heartfelt message with Blue Jays fans about his time in Toronto.
 

 

I don’t know where to start but the last couple days have been some of the most difficult and challenging days of my career. After trying to get myself and family settled in a new city and organization, I have finally had a chance to process my feelings... Thank you isn’t enough Toronto. I gave you my heart and you gave me yours back. I was just a California kid who always had a dream of playing in the big leagues. Never in my wildest dreams would I be playing 3,000 miles away from home in a different country. On August 14, 2013 I made my MLB debut in Toronto but what I didn’t know is you would be my home for the next 7 years of my life. To AA, Paul Beeston, and especially the guy who drafted me, Kevin Fox, thanks for believing in a 21 year old D2 baseball player. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove that I could not only reach the big leagues but become an everyday center fielder. To the staff, trainers, stadium employees, clubhouse staff: thank you for your constant love and support and always making me and my family feel like family. You all touched my heart in a way that I will never forget. To my teammates: thank you for the most unbelievable ride. We had some challenging years but we also had some pretty magical and incredible years. Despite the ups and downs of a season, you guys were the ones who made me want to play as hard as I could every single day, regardless of the score. To the fans: Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have been the most incredible, honest, passionate fans from coast to coast. You will always have a special place in my heart and for that, I can’t thank you enough.

A post shared by Kevin Pillar (@kpillar11) on

The 30-year-old joined the Big League club when he was 24-years-old and it was all he ever really knew at the professional level.
 

I don’t know where to start but the last couple days have been some of the most difficult and challenging days of my career. After trying to get myself and family settled in a new city and organization, I have finally had a chance to process my feelings... Thank you isn’t enough Toronto. I gave you my heart and you gave me yours back. I was just a California kid who always had a dream of playing in the big leagues. Never in my wildest dreams would I be playing 3,000 miles away from home in a different country. On August 14, 2013 I made my MLB debut in Toronto but what I didn’t know is you would be my home for the next 7 years of my life.

To AA, Paul Beeston, and especially the guy who drafted me, Kevin Fox, thanks for believing in a 21 year old D2 baseball player. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove that I could not only reach the big leagues but become an everyday center fielder.

To the staff, trainers, stadium employees, clubhouse staff: thank you for your constant love and support and always making me and my family feel like family. You all touched my heart in a way that I will never forget. 

To my teammates: thank you for the most unbelievable ride. We had some challenging years but we also had some pretty magical and incredible years. Despite the ups and downs of a season, you guys were the ones who made me want to play as hard as I could every single day, regardless of the score.

To the fans: Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have been the most incredible, honest, passionate fans from coast to coast. You will always have a special place in my heart and for that, I can’t thank you enough.

Pillar had 2,483 at-bats in a Blue Jays uniform in 695 games and accumulated 641 hits, 55 home runs, 231 RBI, and 70 stolen bases to go with a .259 batting average and a .296 OBP in that span.

(H/T Instagram/kpillar11)