Floyd Bluford "Butch" Henry III (born October 7, 1968) is an American former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB)
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who played for five MLB teams from 1992 to 1999. Listed at and , he pitched and batted left-handed. Henry has also been a
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
in
Minor League Baseball and a
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
in
independent baseball
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independen ...
.
Playing career
Henry was selected by the
Cincinnati Reds in the 15th round of the
1987 MLB draft
The Major League Baseball Draft is the process by which Major League Baseball (MLB) teams select athletes to play for their organization. High school seniors, college juniors and seniors, and anyone who had never played under a professional cont ...
.
He was 23 years old when he made his major league debut on April 9, 1992, with the
Houston Astros.
During his career, Henry had a record of 33–33, with a 3.83
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
and 345 strikeouts in 621 innings pitched.
[ He also played for the ]Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
, Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
and the Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
. He had the best year of his career with the 1994 Expos, when he posted an 8–3 record with a 2.43 ERA.[
After spending the entire 2000 season on the disabled list, and a short-lived comeback attempt in the minors in 2001, Henry announced his retirement in 2003 due to arm troubles.
]
Post-playing career
Henry later served as a coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
in 2004 for the Sarasota Reds
The Sarasota Reds were a professional minor league baseball team, located in Sarasota, Florida, as a member of the Florida State League. However team originally started play in Sarasota as the Sarasota White Sox in 1989. They remained in the city ...
of the Gulf Coast League
The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...
. The following year, he was the pitching coach for the Billings Mustangs
The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...
of the Pioneer League, the Rookie Advanced affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.
Henry became manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
for the El Paso Diablos
"El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, wh ...
of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...
in 2006. In 2007, he led the Diablos to a South Division-best record of 56–40 and a playoff berth, the team's first since 2000, when they played in the Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
. The 2007 team's batting and pitching vastly improved under Henry's guidance. The batting average for the Diablos was 15 points higher (.279 to .294), while the pitching ERA was almost a full two runs lower (6.18 to 4.37) as compared to 2006. The Diablos also led the league in runs scored and hits and were second in team batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
. As a result, Henry won American Association Manager of the Year honors. Henry's final season with the Diablos was 2010—the team compiled a record of 205–268 during the five seasons that Henry managed the club.
Personal life
Henry is a 2010 inductee of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Butch
1968 births
Living people
American Association of Professional Baseball managers
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball coaches from Texas
Baseball players from Texas
Billings Mustangs players
Boston Red Sox players
Cedar Rapids Reds players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Colorado Rockies players
Columbus Clippers players
Houston Astros players
Indianapolis Indians players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Minor league baseball coaches
Minor league baseball managers
Montreal Expos players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Ottawa Lynx players
Sarasota Red Sox players
Seattle Mariners players
Sportspeople from El Paso, Texas
Syracuse SkyChiefs players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tucson Toros players