Rich Butler

Richard Dwight Butler (born May 1, 1973) is a former outfielder for the Major League Baseball Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[1] He is the brother of another former Blue Jay, Rob Butler.

Rich Butler
Outfielder
Born: (1973-05-07) May 7, 1973
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 6, 1997, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
August 4, 1999, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
MLB statistics
Batting average.223
Home runs7
Runs batted in22
Teams

Career

Butler was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays on September 24, 1990. After seven years in Minor League Baseball, he was called up to play for the major league club on September 6, 1997. He played seven games that season with the Blue Jays.[2][3]

In the Major League Baseball expansion draft of 1997, Butler was selected 10th overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, now the Tampa Bay Rays.[2] In 1998, the inaugural season for the Rays, Butler played in 72 games at the major league level and 38 games with AAA Durham..[4]

Butler remained at AAA Durham in 1999, where he played 90 games. He was called up to the Devil Rays again, but this time only for seven games.[4]

On October 15, 1999, Butler was granted free agency. A month later, he was signed by the Seattle Mariners, although he never made it back to the big leagues.[2]

After his MLB career Butler played for the minor league Toronto Maple Leafs from 2001 to 2002.[5]

Highlights

1992 - A Ball Myrtle Beach Hurricanes, South Atlantic League Champions

1993 - Florida State League All Star, voted most exciting player of the year by Baseball America

1996 - Australian League MVP, Sydney Blues

1997 - First MLB hit, September 9

1998 - First MLB home run, April 1

[6]

Statistics

Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
Minors 924 3345 459 874 145 41 76 439 329 653 95 68 .261 .330 .397 .728
Majors 86 251 30 56 5 3 7 22 19 44 4 3 .223 .280 .351 .631

[2]

Fielding

G GS TC PO A E DP FPCT
Majors 70 64 131 126 5 0 1 1.000

[2] minor league fielding statistics not available

Butler Baseball Academy

As of 2016, Rich Butler and his brother Rob Butler are instructors at the Butler Baseball Academy based in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.

The academy offers:

  • professional baseball and softball instruction
  • seasonal clinics and camps
  • baseball and softball batting cages
  • elite baseball programs for 12U, 13U, 14U, 16U

[6]

References
  1. "Butler did it" The Telegram. Retrieved 2016-07-03.
  2. "Rich Butler Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  3. "Richard Dwight Butler". www.purapelota.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  4. "Rich Butler Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  5. "ALUMNI | Intercounty Baseball League". www.pointstreaksites.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  6. "Rich Butler | Butler Baseball Academy". butlerbaseballacademy.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.


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