Sure Hands, Tenacity Butler Trademarks
Brett Butler is the complete baseball player, both on and off the field.
A slight, wiry overachiever, Butler covers center field with a sure-handedness that has seen him make only 41 errors in more than 5,000 chances during his 14 years in the majors. At one stretch, he went 307 games without an error until that streak ended in June of 1994.
Now Butler will be out for the rest of the season following the discovery of throat cancer. It’s too early to know if he will return.
“Brett’s a great guy; a very spiritual, very family-oriented guy and very competitive on the field,” former teammate Tim Belcher, now with the Kansas City Royals, said Tuesday night. “Of the guys I’ve played with in my career, if I could pick five or six guys who could handle something like this, he’d have to be one of those five or six, no question about it.”
At the plate, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-foot-10, 160-pound lead-off batter is known for his tenacity and hustle. Butler is doggedly determined to get on base, whether by a hit, a bunt for a hit, or a walk. And he’s very good at it.
Last year, he led the N.L. with 43 infield hits, including 19 bunt singles. He had 154 hits, walked 67 times and struck out just 51 times. In 129 appearances, Butler was kept off the bases in only 19 games.
Splitting time with the New York Mets and the Dodgers, he wound up hitting .300, the fifth time in his 14-year career that he hit .300 or better.
When Butler reaches base, he’s always a threat. He stole 32 bases in 1995, the 12th time in his last 13 seasons that he topped 30 thefts. He is one of only 26 players in major league history with more than 2,000 hits and 500 steals.
Extremely dedicated, he’s known as one of the hardest workers in baseball, and one of the most dependable. Before this season, Butler had been on the disabled list only once, in 1987 with Cleveland when he broke his middle finger on a bunt attempt on opening day and missed the month of April.
Butler, who turns 39 next month, is a clubhouse leader both by example and by the guidance and encouragement he gives younger players. He has been very active in the players’ association and led the condemnation of Mike Busch, a replacement player brought up by the Dodgers last season.
Butler also is a favorite of reporters since he’s friendly, articulate and candid.
“My honesty, at times, gets me into trouble,” he said earlier this year.
Away from the ballpark, Butler is an ambassador for the game, giving back to the community. He’s a member of the Leukemia Society, among other charitable organizations, and also has been actively involved in The California Kids program, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other youth groups.
Butler, who has hit .265 in 29 games this season, said before it started that he had no plans to retire.
“I can lose a step-and-a-half, but I don’t lose any bat speed,” he said. “I’ve always been a Punch-and-Judy hitter. If I hit .250, I’m done. I’ll walk away from the game.
“The money has gotten so big. I’ve got my money. I don’t need to play anymore. I’m playing because I still love baseball. When I’m done, I’ll have season tickets for the Atlanta Braves the rest of my life.”