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Putting Kevin Pillar's latest highlight-reel grab in context of the season's best catches

On Monday night, Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar added to his laundry list of absurd, high-flying catches with this effort, denying Mookie Betts of extra bases: 

Pillar's no stranger to the unreal when it comes to flashing some gaudy defense on the diamond, as it's a pretty common occurence these days. But when it comes to christening a particular jaw-dropping defensive play Catch of the Year, well, that's an ongoing, ever-changing discussion. 
That said, where does Pillar's rank among the season's most impressive thus far? We think it ranks pretty high, honestly, though there are other contenders in play as well. Well, not technically "in play" anymore, since the baseballs ended up in gloves rather than in open real estate, but you get the point.
Anyway, some other great ones from the season to date, in no particular order: 

Austin Jackson goes over the wall at Fenway
This one happened on Aug. 1 in an Indians-Red Sox game in Boston -- but with Hanley Ramirez at the plate instead of Betts. Lofting a deep drive to the right-center field gap, it seemed destined for the bullpen. But no, the bullpen would only receive a leaping Jackson after he pulled down the baseball with this display: 

Billy Hamilton's miraculous basket catch in center field
The Reds employ one of the game's fastest talents in Hamilton, and he doesn't just use it on the bases (though he does that too). Catching up to this line drive struck by Carlos Asuajeearlier this month would be a tall order for anybody -- except Hamilton, who coolly sprinted 106 feet to reel this in with a tremendous effort: 

Adam Engel doesn't allow home runs on his watch
Astros slugger Brian McCann thought he'd hit a solo shot to right-center field. But with Engel roaming center, that wasn't meant to be. Shout-out to Engel for the 80-grade hangtime on this one, which probably needed that maximum-effort jump to pull it down:

Jackie Bradley Jr. goes all-out
Yunel Escobar made solid contact on a Chris Sale offering and thought he'd hit an extra-base hit off the right-field wall ... and he would have, had Bradley not done this:

Christian Yelich into the wall
In the spirit of a wall-smashing grab you'll see a few spots below this one, the Marlins outfielder had a similarly adventurous trip to deny Jarrod Dyson of a hit back in April that merits consideration:

Kevin Kiermaier and the walk-off robbery
This one isn't entirely surprising considering it's the Rays' Kiermaier, but the dramatic value of ending a victory by stealing a would-be homer with an expertly-timed leap at the center-field wall is just perfect (as was Alex Gordon's similar game-ending grab in mid-August):

Pillar goes into the ivy
There's that man again! Just last week, Mr. Pillar, Baseball Thief, literally ran into the ivy at Wrigley Field to deny Kris Bryant of a hit. Given the degree of difficulty plus the promise of a hard landing, this is proof positive Pillar is just fearless:

Of course, the above are merely a sampling of some of the most dazzling catches made by outfielders this season. By the time you read this, there might be a handful more worth your time (and double-takes, potentially). Let's all bask in their amazingness, because ... well, they deserve it. 
Which catch is your favorite so far in 2017? Weigh in in the comment section below. 

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