FORT MYERS, Fla. — New Boston Red Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar played with a chip on his shoulder in the minors and during his early major league career as a 32nd round draft pick out of Division II California State University, Dominguez Hills.

He even wanted to prove to the Toronto Blue Jays that they were wrong to wait 32 rounds to draft him.

“My motivation certainly has changed over the course of the years," Pillar told MassLive.com on Thursday. “Early on in my career, that was the chip on my shoulder, the motivating factor to prove all these teams that they were wrong. And to prove to my own organization that they were wrong. I wasn’t gonna allow my draft position to define whether I got to the big leagues or whether I had success in the big leagues. I still think that’s kind of enrooted in me. But it’s not that chip on my shoulder. It’s not that thing that motivates me every single day.”

Pillar, who the Red Sox signed to a one-year, $4.25 million contract Feb. 14, brings new motivations with him to Boston. He belted a career-high 21 homers in 2019 with the Giants, but wants to hit for a better on-base percentage than he has throughout his career.

He wants to achieve certain things in this game he hasn’t yet. Adding a Gold Glove to his resume remains attainable. He has posted an impressive 60 DRS (Defensive Runs Saves) during his career (45 DRS in center). His DRS declined in 2019 but he still thinks he’s an elite defender. He thinks minor adjustments such as positioning, through advanced metrics, will help make him an elite outfielder again.

“I’m at a point where I’ve had five-plus major league seasons as an everyday player,” Pillar said. “My motivation is to now reach the heights and standards that I have set for myself. I’m strictly motivated by that. Not motivated by anything else. I’ve proved I can be an everyday major league baseball player. The only thing left for me to prove is to prove to myself that these expectations that I have for myself that I believe I can reach them. Whether it’s being an All-Star. Whether it’s doing certain things on the field that I haven’t yet been able to accomplish."

Despite new motivations, Pillar still feels a responsibility to tell his original story.

“I was definitely not the most talented guy, even in my own draft class just with the Toronto Blue Jays,” Pillar said.

Still, Pillar became the first player in the Blue Jays’ 2011 draft class to make the majors. He made his big league debut two years, two months and seven days after Toronto drafted him.

“How was that accomplished? I think it had a lot to do with the sixth tool that we don’t talk about it,” said Pillar, who explains the meaning of the sixth tool below. “In no way do I feel like I’m the only one to come from where I started and get to where I got to. But I do take a sense of responsibility of taking the opportunity to share my story.”

Several of Pillar’s new Red Sox teammates, including J.D. Martinez (2009 20th round pick), Mitch Moreland (2007 17th-round pick), Jeffrey Springs (2015 30th round pick) and Chris Mazza (2011 27th round pick), all have their own stories of determination. Springs and Pillar received the same signing bonus: only $1,000 before taxes.

Pillar wants college players drafted in the lower rounds and high school players who didn’t receive Division I college scholarships but instead are playing at Division II and III schools to hear his story.

“Just give them a little bit of hope, give them a little bit of peace in making their decision, especially now with how popular social media has become and how advanced we’ve become as a society,” Pillar said.

Pillar said social media makes it much easier nowadays for scouts to notice under-the-radar prospects.

“If you’re good enough, they’re gonna find you," Pillar said. “You definitely don’t have to go to a Division I California school to be seen by scouts. The word travels very quickly in this game. You could be at some small Division II in the Midwest and if they believe you have what it takes, even if it’s a very small chance you can help a major league team one day, they’re gonna send people out there to see you.”

Red Sox fans should appreciate his gritty style

Pillar plays the game hard. That’s always been the case. He had to play hard to prove himself as the 979th overall pick in 2011.

“My style of play is conducive for going out there and doing whatever it takes to get a win that day,” Pillar said.

The Blue Jays abruptly traded Pillar to the Giants five days into the 2019 regular season. He called the trade and move across the country “extremely unsettling” after he thought he would remain a Toronto Blue Jays player for life. He never wanted to play anywhere else but Toronto.

Why did he love playing in that city so much? Simple. He embraced the city’s blue-collar attitude.

"Definitely a hockey town and they just appreciated guys that went out there, gave their best effort and played the game the right way, played hard and were willing to lay it all on the line,” Pillar said.

He’s aware Boston fans appreciate the same qualities.

“Not to say this was the determining factor in me signing here. There obviously were a bunch of other reasons. But in some small way I was aware of that,” Pillar said. "And it allows me a little bit of comfort knowing that despite the numbers that might be seen on the scoreboard, I’m able to just go out there and play my style of baseball, and play the game the right way and play hard that people are gonna to see beyond the numbers. They’re gonna see you can impact games in other ways.

“It’s not necessarily a goal of mine everywhere I’ve been to just go out there and try to do something to try to win the fan base over. I just understand, if you go out there and be yourself, and you play your style of game, (fans will appreciate it)."

He was unsure whether his reputation as a gritty player would travel with him from Toronto to San Francisco.

“Shortly after being there, just being myself, not trying to prove anything to anyone, just being myself organically, the reputation just kind of came along with it," he said. "And fans just started to appreciate just my willingness to do whatever it takes to win. Lay it all out there.”

He said he knows Red Sox fans are extremely loyal.

“I also understand they have expectations for their team. They have expectations for their players," Pillar said.

‘It’s a matter of opportunity’

J.D. Martinez told MassLive.com back in 2018, “When I signed, they sent me to the Appalachian League, rookie ball where all the high school kids went, not even the college kids. And I was the sixth outfielder. I didn’t even play.”

Pillar also began his career in the Appalachian League for the Short Season Bluefield Blue Jays.

“I think the hardest thing initially is when you are drafted late, just getting your opportunity to go out there and show that you can play,” Pillar said.

Pillar said he played the first game after being assigned to Bluefield.

“And then I didn’t play for two days,” Pillar said. “I was kind of on a set rotation. Enough for me to say they gave me an opportunity but not enough to really go out there and prove myself. But I understood where I stood kind of early in the process. I didn’t allow that to stop me from getting my work in and just preparing myself for when that opportunity did come. I was able to just kind of go out there and run with it."

He certainly took advantage of his 56 starts in the outfield that year. He batted .347 with a .377 on-base percentage, .534 slugging percentage, .911 OPS, seven homers, 17 doubles, three triples and 37 RBIs in 256 plate appearances.

“I just tell people it’s a matter of opportunity," Pillar said. "Just the more you can go out there and play, whether it’s at the DI level, the Division III level or NAIA, junior college. Every time you step on a field you have an opportunity to prove yourself. And the same goes for when you get drafted. Regardless of where you get drafted, despite the amount of opportunities you might get, any time you have a uniform on, a field, that becomes your stage. It becomes your platform to go out and prove to anybody that’s watching that you’re worthy of being on that field. Worthy of being a big league baseball player one day.”

‘It’s your sixth tool. It’s what’s between your ears’

Former Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan — who played 11 seasons in the majors (2007-17) after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Rollins College — told MassLive.com in 2015 half the problem for talented young players is receiving an opportunity to play professional ball.

“I played with guys in college and in summer leagues who were damn good players that might have had a career and it’s just hard to get into pro ball,” Hanigan said. “And then you see a lot of guys at the same time that they get into pro ball and you’re like, ‘How did that happen?’”

Why do scouts sometimes fail to identify some very talented players as potential major leaguers?

“There’s a very important component to all this that’s not quantifiable. It isn’t measurable. And it’s your sixth tool. It’s what’s between your ears. It’s your brain. It’s your ability to adapt. Your willingness to learn. Your work ethic. These are things that aren’t measurable. We get caught up in the five tools of baseball. That anyone can go out on a baseball field and go, ‘Wow, that guy’s really fast.’ Because we can time it. Or ‘He’s got raw power because he can hit the ball over the fence.’ And obviously the same for all the other tools. It will never be a perfect science. Because until we can learn to quantify that stuff, it’s gonna be hard.”