Brett Butler
From BR Bullpen
Brett Morgan Butler
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.
- School Southeastern Oklahoma State University
- High School Libertyville High School
- Debut August 20, 1981
- Final Game September 28, 1997
- Born June 15, 1957 in Los Angeles, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Brett Butler was the third great leadoff hitter of the 1980s and early 1990s, after Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines. He was a speedy outfielder who knew how to draw a walk and who had enough power to lead his league in triples four times during his career. He was continually among the league's top ten in on-base percentage and stolen bases, even if he never finished first, but he did not draw much publicity until late in his career, in part because he spent four of his best years with the Cleveland Indians at a time when they were among the worst teams in baseball. He had made his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves in 1981, then was the player to be named later in the high-profile trade that brought fireballer Len Barker to Atlanta late in the 1983 season.
Butler started to make a name for himself when he spent three very productive seasons with the San Francisco Giants from 1988 to 1990, leading the National League in runs scored the first and last year, and scoring 100 runs for a division winner in 1989. He made the All-Star team as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991.
Butler missed of the 1996 season while fighting cancer, then came back at age 40 in 1997 to play regularly, hitting .283 with a solid .363 on-base percentage. However, his power was completely gone by then, and he was only 15 for 25 in stolen base attempts (he finished his career with a 68% success rate, compared to Raines's 85% and Henderson's 81%), so he retired after the season. Overall, he hit .290 over 17 seasons, scoring 1359 runs and stealing 558 bases. He was also a solid center-fielder and an excellent bunter.
He managed the 2004 GCL Mets and was an Arizona Diamondbacks coach in 2005. He was manager of the Mobile BayBears in 2007 when he suffered a stroke on July 26 and was replaced by his former teammate with the Giants, Matt Williams, for the remainder of the season. Butler served as Arizona's Minor League outfield and base running coordinator in 2008 and was named manager of the Reno Aces for 2009.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1981 MVP International League Richmond Braves
- NL All-Star (1991)
- 2-time NL Runs Scored Leader (1988 & 1991)
- NL Hits Leader (1990)
- 4-time NL Singles Leader (1990-1993)
- 4-time League Triples Leader (1983/NL, 1986/AL, 1994/NL & 1995/NL)
- NL Bases on Balls Leader (1991)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 6 (1984, 1985 & 1988-1991)
- 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 2 (1984 & 1990)
