Pillar's heroics a reminder of what makes Blue Jays worth watching

TORONTO — There are plenty of valid reasons to tune out the Toronto Blue Jays right now.

Most importantly, they sit at 61-70. It would be generous to describe them as on the periphery of the playoff race. More realistically, they sit in the “out barring a miracle” bucket.

Normally that means a wave of young players should be incoming, but that’s hardly the case for Toronto. Sure, there will be some September call-ups — likely including intriguing newcomer Teoscar Hernandez — but the best this farm system has to offer is a ways off.

So from here on out the Blue Jays look like a group of familiar, under-performing players, finishing out the season without the drama of big-name rookie debuts or a meaningful infusion of players who figure to contribute in 2018.

It’s conceivable that Hernandez is getting a look to play one of the corners next year, and Joe Biagini hopes to show he’s a rotation option, but with the Blue Jays looking at a retool rather than a rebuild, fans don’t have a world of possibilities to dream on.

Instead they have to live game-to-game hoping to see something memorable enough that the fact it’s inconsequential can be forgiven. On Monday night, Kevin Pillar provided one of those moments. With a man on and no one out Mookie Betts hit a screamer into the gap and Pillar did this:

“Those kinds of things don’t even surprise you anymore,” manager John Gibbons said of the grab. “He’s a special defender out there.”

No matter how many times you see Pillar make a play of this ilk, though, it retains an element of unbelievability. As good as he is, it’s impossible to fully expect him to make the catch as you watch the play develop. Some part of you acknowledges that a catch is possible, but that part is dismissed by the rest of your brain as an idiot — until he catches the ball that is. The run is implausible and the dive is impossible, but there’s no denying it happened.

And when it happened, the Rogers Centre erupted. Thousands of fans were pulled from their seats at the exact same time like so many marionettes with strings coming out of their heads. The concrete-heavy building — that is nothing if not sturdy — seemed to shake. Marcus Stroman was ecstatic.

“I told him I think that’s the best one I’ve seen him make live, to be honest,” Stroman said. “I feel like I’m always on the mound too, which means sinkers up in the zone getting hit a long way because he usually plays shallow when I pitch. The way he goes back on balls is extremely special.”

The thing is, it didn’t matter. At the time it helped the Blue Jays retain a 3-2 lead, but they lost that one inning later. Even if they hadn’t, one more win wouldn’t have vaulted them into true playoff contention.

But it didn’t matter that it didn’t matter, because it was a little bit of magic. In the midst of a lost season, that’s what’s makes this team — or any team in a similar spot — worth watching. A centre fielder that earns comparisons to a superhero. An ace that’s nothing if not entertaining. Josh Donaldson at the height of his powers. The likely last act of Jose Bautista in Toronto.

Those things aren’t worth nearly as much as a division race, or a wild-card dogfight, but they’re not worth nothing either.