Joseph Frank Butler (born March 12, 1986) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

. He played in

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) for the Texas Rangers,

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

. Butler is the only player since at least 1901 who hit two home runs in his final major league game.

Background

Born and raised in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 22 ...

, Butler attended

Pascagoula High School The Pascagoula-Gautier School District is a public school system based in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It includes Pascagoula and most of Gautier. Schools Pascagoula ;High School (Grades 9–12) * Gautier High School *Pascagoula High School ;Mi ...

. For the Pascagoula Panthers, Butler played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. A standout athlete, Butler later attended

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) is a public community college with its main campus in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was founded as Harrison County Agricultural High School in 1912. MGCCC has three campuses and six centers: The ma ...

before transferring to the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...

. At New Orleans, Butler was teammates with

Johnny Giavotella Johnny Arthur Giavotella (born July 10, 1987) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, and Baltimore Orioles. Early life Giavotella w ...

, and the school made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. In his two seasons at New Orleans, Butler had a batting line of .342/.403/.541 in 119 games.

Career

Texas Rangers

Butler was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

, as a

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

. Despite hitting exceptionally well in college, scouts were concerned with Butler's defensive abilities. He made his professional debut with the Low-A

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

, batting .301/.417/.434 with 4 home runs and 31 RBI in 62 games. In 2009, Butler played for the High-A

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

, hitting .280/.343/.416 with 12 home runs and 76 RBI. The following season, he played for the Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

, posting a .277/.340/.409 slash with 10 home runs and 58 RBI in 132 games. For the 2011 season, Butler split the year between Frisco and the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

, hitting a cumulative .313/.388/.483 with a career-high 14 home runs and 61 RBI. Butler returned to Round Rock for the 2012 season, slashing .290/.392/.473 with new career-highs in home runs (20) and RBI (78). He began the 2013 season with Round Rock. On August 5, 2013, The Rangers selected Butler to the 40-man roster and called him up to the majors for the first time. He made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter for

Leonys Martín Leonys Martín Tápanes (born March 6, 1988), nicknamed "Ikadi", is a Cuban-American professional baseball center fielder who is currently a free agent. Born in Cuba, he played locally for Villa Clara of the Cuban National Series, and for the ...

, but lined out against

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

pitcher

Nick Maronde John Nicholas Maronde (born September 5, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Career Amateur Maronde went to Lexington Catholic High School in L ...

in his only at-bat. Butler was optioned back to the Triple-A

on August 10 to make room for

Alex Ríos Alexis Israel Ríos (born February 18, 1981) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals. A World Seri ...

, but was recalled on September 3 when major league rosters expanded. Butler went 4-for-12 in 8 games for Texas before he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on September 30.

St. Louis Cardinals

On October 3, 2013, Butler was claimed off waivers by the

. On March 27, 2014, Butler was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and assigned to the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

. On May 9, Butler was selected to the active roster. He made his Cardinals debut on May 10, 2014, after getting called up on May 9. He struck out, pinch-hitting in the seventh inning at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He was optioned to Memphis on May 21 after going 0-for-5 in 6 games and was granted his outright release by St. Louis two days later to pursue an opportunity in Japan.

Orix Buffaloes

After he was given his release by the Cardinals, Butler had his contract purchased by the

of the

Nippon Professional Baseball League or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

on May 23, 2014. He made his NPB debut on July 1, 2014. In 21 games as a

for the Buffaloes, Butler hit .231 with two home runs and six RBIs. He became a free agent after the season.

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 10, 2015, Butler signed a minor league deal with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

to begin the year before being selected to the major leagues on May 3. He hit his first MLB home run on May 4, a two-run homer off of

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 eight ...

starter

Clay Buchholz Clay Daniel Buchholz (born August 14, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Buchholz made h ...

. On July 1, he broke up Carlos Carrasco’s 8 2/3 innings and two-strike long no-hitter with a single. In 88 games for Tampa Bay, Butler slashed .276/.326/.416 with 8 home runs and 30 RBI. On December 3, 2015, Butler was designated for assignment following the team's acquisition of

Hank Conger Hyun Choi "Hank" Conger (born January 29, 1988) is a Korean American professional baseball catcher and coach. He is the first base and catching coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Conger was selected in the first roun ...

Cleveland Indians

On December 7, 2015, Butler was claimed off waivers by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. After failing to make the 25-man roster out of spring training, Butler was optioned to the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. Butler was designated for assignment on July 31, 2016 to make room on the 40-man roster for Andrew Miller, and was outrighted to Triple-A on August 5. He finished the year with Columbus, hitting .240/.318/.344 with 8 home runs and 42 RBI in 118 games. Butler elected free agency on October 3, 2016.

Washington Nationals

On February 10, 2017, Butler signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

organization. Butler spent the year with the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, but appeared in just 28 games due to injury and hit only .215/.311/.329 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Personal life

Butler is married and has two children, a daughter and a son.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Joey 1986 births Living people People from Pascagoula, Mississippi Baseball players from Mississippi African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball left fielders Texas Rangers players St. Louis Cardinals players Orix Buffaloes players Tampa Bay Rays players Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs baseball players New Orleans Privateers baseball players Spokane Indians players Bakersfield Blaze players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players Memphis Redbirds players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Durham Bulls players Surprise Saguaros players Venados de Mazatlán players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Columbus Clippers players Syracuse Chiefs players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people