Blake Butera
Blake Matthew Butera
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 175 lb.
- School Boston College
- High School Mandeville High School
- Born August 7, 1992 in Metairie, LA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Infielder Blake Butera played in the minor leagues in 2015 and 2016. He was a 35th round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2015 amateur draft, out of Boston College and began his career that same year with the Princeton Rays of the Appalachian League. He hit .207/.337/.256 in 27 games. He spent most of 2016 back with Princeton, apart for 4 games with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Penn League. In 53 games, he hit .247/.344/.360.
In 2017, he moved into coaching with Hudson Valley, then in 2018 was named the team's manager, taking the Renegades to the league finals after posting the best record in the NYPL during the regular season. He was the youngest manager in organized baseball that season, aged just 25. He was back in 2019. Butera was slated to manage the Bowling Green Hot Rods in 2020 before COVID-19 shut down the minor league season. He returned to managing in 2021-2022 with Charleston. In 2021, he guided the RiverDogs to the first professional baseball championship in the city of Charleston since 1922 and a record-breaking .683 winning percentage. Following the campaign, he was named the Low-A East Manager of the Year. In 2023 the Rays promoted Butera to Minor League Assistant Field Coordinator. He received another promotion in 2024 to the position of Senior Director of Player Development which he continued in 2025.
During these years, Butera also picked up some international coaching experience. He was a coach for the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League in 2019/2020. The following year he worked as the quality control coach for the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican League. Butera also served as the bench coach for the Italy national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
On October 30, 2025, he was named manager of the Washington Nationals, replacing interim manager Miguel Cairo for the 2026 season. At 33, that made him the youngest major league manager since Frank Quilici was appointed to manage the 1972 Minnesota Twins.
His father Barry Butera Sr. played as high as AAA while brother Barry Butera Jr. also played pro ball.
| Preceded by Miguel Cairo |
Washington Nationals Manager 2026- |
Succeeded by current |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hudson Valley Renegades | New York-Penn League | 45-30 | 1st | Tampa Bay Rays | Lost league Finals |
| 2019 | Hudson Valley Renegades | New York-Penn League | 43-32 | 1st (t) | Tampa Bay Rays | Lost in 1st round |
| 2021 | Charleston RiverDogs | Low-A East | 82-38 | 1st | Tampa Bay Rays | League Champs |
| 2022 | Charleston RiverDogs | Carolina League | 88-44 | 1st | Tampa Bay Rays | League Champs |
| 2026 | Washington Nationals | National League | Washington Nationals |
Further Reading[edit]
- Jessica Camerato: "Nationals plan to make Blake Butera MLB's youngest manager since '72", mlb.com, October 30, 2025. [1]
- Jessica Camerato: "Nationals introduce Butera as MLB's youngest manager in over 50 years", mlb.com, November 17, 2025. [2]
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