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The Washington Nationals are about to think outside the box with their announced executive hire.
The team will hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as its new skipper, according to multiple reports. Butera would become the youngest manager in the big leagues since 1972.
Frank Quilici was also 33 in his first season as manager of the Minnesota Twins.
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Hudson Valley Renegades manager Blake Butera releases the lineup before Wednesday’s game at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill on July 10, 2019. (Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal via Imagn Content)
Butera previously served as senior director of player development for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was named to the position in October 2023 after spending four seasons managing in the minor leagues.
In his first season as a minor league manager, he was only 25 years old. In those four seasons, he had a record of 258-144 with four first-place finishes. In Butera’s final two seasons at the helm of Low-A Charleston, he won league championships and went 170-82.
Butera became a coach after spending two seasons as a player in the Rays’ minor league system. During his two seasons in the minors, he had a .235 batting average.
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Blake Butera (10) of Team Italy poses for a photo during the headshots of the 2023 Team Italy World Baseball Classic at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, March 4, 2023. (Photos Mary DeCicco/WBCI/MLB via Getty Images)
He was drafted by Boston College in the 35th round of the 2015 draft. Butera played four seasons in BC and was the team captain.
The Nationals fired manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo in July. The duo helped the franchise win a World Series title in 2019.
Hudson Valley Renegades manager Blake Butera poses at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, New York on June 12, 2019. (Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal via IMAGN)
Martinez was 500-622 over nearly eight seasons at the helm. Interim manager Miguel Cairo was 29-43 after Martinez was fired.
The Nationals hired former Boston Red Sox general manager Paul Toboni in September to replace Rizzo. They hope the combination of Toboni and Butera can help the Nationals return to the World Series.
