Billy Butler

Lore & Background

Butler attended Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was teammates with fellow first-round draft pick Eric Hurley. 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, electing to play professional baseball. He made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars 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 with a .331 batting average. 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, 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.

Reader's Guide

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 on the disabled list. Butler batted .292 in his rookie year, along with 8 home runs and 52 RBI. In 2008, 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, he recorded 11 home runs and 55 RBI. In 2009, Butler batted .301, while surpassing 500 at bats for the first time. He led the Royals with career highs in RBI (92) and doubles (51), and had a career high in home runs, with 21. He 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. He led all AL first basemen in errors, with 10. He was the American League Player of the Month for September and named the 2009 Royals Player of the Year. In 2010, Butler posted a .318 batting average, .388 on-base percentage, 15 home runs, 78 RBI, and 45 doubles. He grounded into 32 double plays, the most in the American League. He played primarily first base, where he was 5th among all AL first basemen in errors, with 6. On January 23, 2011, Butler agreed to a $30 million, four-year contract with the Royals. In 2011, with Eric Hosmer becoming the team's everyday first baseman, Butler became the full-time DH. On July 26, Butler was a triple short of a cycle in a loss to the Boston Red Sox. Butler followed with four home runs in the next three games. He won the 2011 Hutch Award and was the American League Player of the Week for July 25–31. On July 1, 2012, Butler was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve. 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. On May 28, 2013, Butler got his 1,000th hit. 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. In 2014, Butler hit only nine home runs with 66 RBI.

Did You Know?

• Butler's nickname 'Country Breakfast' was coined by former St. Joseph News-Press sports editor Ross Martin in response to Butler's size.
• Butler won the 2012 Silver Slugger Award and Edgar Martínez Award as the American League's top designated hitter.
• As of 2017, Butler was playing softball for a team named Pharmgrade in the Idaho Falls Parks & Rec Men's League.