Billy Ray Butler (born April 18, 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and current hitting coach for the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars 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 Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca ...

of the Pioneer League. 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 Kansas City Royals from 2007 to 2014, the Oakland Athletics from 2015 to 2016 and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

in 2016. Butler was an

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

in 2012, and won the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

and

Edgar Martínez Award The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter (DH) ...

that season.

Amateur career

Butler attended

Wolfson High School Samuel W. Wolfson High School (or simply Wolfson) is a magnet high school located in the Duval County Public School district. As an academic magnet and college preparatory school, Wolfson specializes in Advanced Placement and International Bacc ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, where he was teammates with fellow first-round draft pick Eric Hurley, a pitcher selected by the Texas Rangers. He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (14th overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft and signed for a $1.45 million bonus, $250,000 below the recommended slot value for that pick. He turned down a scholarship to play for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, electing to play professional baseball.

Minor league career

Butler made his professional debut with the

in the Rookie-level Pioneer League, where he batted .373 with 10 home runs and 68 RBIs in 73 games. He was the Kansas City Royals Minor League Player of the Year, a Pioneer League All-Star and a Rookie League All-Star. The next year, Butler was the California League Rookie of the Year, a 2005 High A All-Star, '' Baseball America'' 1st team Minor League All-Star, Kansas City Royals Minor League Player of the Year, California League All-Star and the California/Carolina League All-Star Game MVP. In 2006, Butler led 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 ...

with a .331

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 ...

. Despite taking time out to play for the U.S. national baseball team, Butler amassed 96 RBIs while playing right field for the Double-A

Wichita Wranglers The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994 and the Kansas City Royals ...

, while leading the Texas League in double plays grounded into with 25. A third baseman in high school, Butler played right field and left field for Wichita in 2006. He was also selected to play for the United States squad in the 2006 All-Star Futures Game, where he hit the go-ahead home run and was selected game

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Major League Baseball career

Kansas City Royals

2007

Butler made his major league debut on May 1, 2007, singling in his first at bat, but was sent to the minors after playing 10 games. He was recalled on June 19 after the Royals put slugger

Mike Sweeney Michael John Sweeney (born July 22, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, first as a catcher, then at first base and designated ...

on the disabled list. Butler batted .292 in his rookie year, along with 8 home runs and 52 RBI.

2008

In Butler's sophomore season, he hit .275, with an on-base percentage of .324 and a slugging percentage of .400. He was demoted mid-season to Triple-A Omaha, but later recalled. In 443 plate appearances (118 more than his rookie year), he recorded 11 home runs and 55 RBI.

2009

In 2009, Butler batted .301, while surpassing 500 at bats for the first time in his career. He solidified himself as the Royals' number three hitter with his emerging gap power, and improved discipline at the plate. Butler led the Royals with career highs in RBI (92) and doubles (51), the latter number approaching Hal McRae's team record of 54. He also had a career high in home runs, with 21. Only five players had hit at least 20 home runs and 50 doubles in a season by his age. Butler was named the American League Player of the Week two times (August 2–8 and September 7–13). He also played almost all of the 2009 season at first base, whereas before he was almost exclusively the designated hitter. He led all AL first basemen in errors, with 10.Billy Butler Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> He was the American League Player of the Month for September. He was named the 2009 Royals Player of the Year.

2010

The 2010 season saw a slight drop in Butler's power numbers, dropping from 21 home runs and 92 runs batted in to 15 home runs and 78 RBI. However, he posted a .318 batting average, the highest of his career to that point. His .388 on-base percentage was also a career best. He also hit 45 doubles. On the flip side, he grounded into 32

double plays In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leagu ...

, the most in the American League. Butler spent the 2010 season playing primarily first base, where he was 5th among all AL first basemen in errors, with 6.

2011

On January 23, 2011, Butler agreed to a $30 million, four-year contract with the Royals. In 2011 season, the promotion of first baseman Kila Ka'aihue from Triple-A Omaha meant that Butler would spend time alternating between first base and designated hitter to open the 2011 campaign. However, with Ka'aihue's demotion in May,

Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...

was called up from Triple-A Omaha and became the team's everyday first baseman, with Butler becoming the full-time DH. On July 26, Butler was a

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

short of a cycle in a loss to the

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 ...

. Butler followed with four home runs in the next three games. Butler won the 2011

Hutch Award The Hutch Award is given annually to an active Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity. The award was created in 1965 in honor of Hu ...

. He was the American League Player of the Week for July 25–31.

2012

On July 1, 2012, Butler was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve on the American League roster. No Royals player was selected by fan or player vote but American League All-Star Team manager

Ron Washington Ronald Louis Washington (born April 29, 1952) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Houston Astros. W ...

made Butler one of his seven selections. At the time of his selection, Butler was hitting .297 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. He won the American League Player of the Week Award for the week ending on July 29. After the season, he was named a 2012 American League Silver Slugger DH and received the 2012 Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.

2013

On May 28, 2013, Butler got his 1,000th hit in the first inning, bringing in

Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...

against St. Louis Cardinals' rookie pitcher Tyler Lyons. He played in all 162 games, hit 15 home runs and drove in 82 runs while drawing a career high 79 walks. He had a slash line of .289/.374/.412. He grounded into 28 double plays, the most in the American League.

2014

Butler had one of the worst statistical years of his career in 2014, hitting only nine home runs with 66 RBI. His batting average, on base percentage, and slugging were all the lowest of his career. Leading into the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, Butler was batting .217 with 5 RBI in eight postseason contests. Following the season, the Royals declined Butler's club option, making him a free agent.

Oakland Athletics

On November 18, 2014, Butler signed a 3-year, $30 million contract with the Oakland Athletics. In 2015, Butler batted a career-low .251 with a .390 slugging percentage. Butler was involved in a clubhouse fight with

Danny Valencia Daniel Paul Valencia (דני ולנסיה; born September 19, 1984) is an American-Israeli professional baseball player who currently plays for the Israeli national baseball team. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota ...

on August 19, 2016. He was placed on the seven-day concussion list on August 22 as a result. Both players were fined, but neither was suspended. Two weeks later, on September 11, 2016, the Athletics released Butler from his contract. He batted .276 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 85 games over the year.

New York Yankees

Butler signed with the

on September 15, 2016, after a season-ending injury to

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017, and finishe ...

. He played in a dozen games, and was not re-signed after the season by the Yankees or signed by any other team, though he was just 30 years old.

Career statistics

In 1414 games over 10 seasons, Butler posted a .290

(1479-for-5105) with 592 runs, 322 doubles, 5 triples, 147 home runs, 728 RBI, 500 bases on balls, .354 on-base percentage and .441 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .992 fielding percentage as a first baseman. In 13 postseason games, he hit .262 (11-for-42) with 3 runs, 3 doubles, 8 RBI and 5 walks.

Coaching career

On March 8, 2021, Butler was announced as the hitting coach for the

of the Pioneer League, the team with whom he started his career.

Personal life

He is married to Katie Hansen Butler and has three daughters. They live in

Idaho Falls, Idaho Idaho Falls (Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 64,8 ...

. He has family in central Florida as well. His nickname ("Country Breakfast") was coined by former ''St. Joseph News-Press'' sports editor Ross Martin in response to Butler's size. As of 2017, he was playing

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

for a team named Pharmgrade in the Idaho Falls Parks & Rec Men's League.Billy Butler is playing in a rec softball league , MLB.com
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Billy 1986 births Living people Kansas City Royals players Oakland Athletics players New York Yankees players Idaho Falls Chukars players High Desert Mavericks players Wichita Wranglers players Surprise Scorpions players Omaha Royals players Azucareros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball designated hitters Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida People from Orange Park, Florida American League All-Stars Silver Slugger Award winners