Billy Butler (baseball)
| Billy Butler | |||
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Billy Butler with the Oakland Athletics in 2015
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| Free agent | |||
| Designated hitter / First baseman | |||
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Born: April 18, 1986 Orange Park, Florida |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 1, 2007, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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| Batting average | .290 | ||
| Hits | 1,479 | ||
| Home runs | 147 | ||
| Runs batted in | 728 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Billy Ray Butler (born William Raymond Butler, Jr.; April 18, 1986), nicknamed "Country Breakfast", is an American professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2007 to 2014, the Oakland Athletics from 2015 to 2016 and the New York Yankees in 2016. Butler was an MLB All-Star in 2012, and won the Silver Slugger Award and Edgar Martínez Award that season.
Butler attended Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was teammates with fellow first-round draft pick Eric Hurley, a pitcher selected by the Texas Rangers. 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.
Butler 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.
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