Dan Butler

Daniel John Butler

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 210 lb.
• School University of Arizona
• High School Greenway High School
• Debut August 10, 2014
• Final Game August 11, 2018
• Born October 17, 1986 in Phoenix, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Catcher Dan Butler saw brief big league action with the Boston Red Sox.

Dan set his high school's record for average (.539) in a season and led the state of Arizona in home runs (12) and average as a senior, earning All-State honors. Redshirted as a college freshman, he was 5 for 25 with two doubles and three walks in 2007 before Tommy John surgery ended his year. He hit .268/.364/.375 in a part-time role in 2008 and .263/.389/.408 in 2009, backing up at catcher. He also hit .246/.379/.333 between the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League.

Undrafted, he was signed by scout Matt Mahoney and the Boston Red Sox. He split time between the Lowell Spinners (.179/.261/.282 in 22 games) and the Salem Red Sox (0 for 3) in 2009. In the playoffs, he was 2 for 11 for Lowell, with a 11th-inning homer in Game 2 of the three game championship series against the Staten Island Yankees. In 2010, he played for the Greenville Drive (.327/.406/.523 in 61 games), Salem (.292/.434/.425 in 35 games) and the Triple A Pawtucket Red Sox (0 for 5). He belted 30 doubles in 332 at bats, tying Ray Chang and Nate Spears for 9th in the Red Sox chain. At the time of his promotion from Greenville, he was third in the South Atlantic League in slugging and OPS and second in average. In 2011, Butler played for Salem (.247/.350/.417 in 91 games), the Portland Sea Dogs (.212/.316/.288 in 21 games) and Pawtucket (1 for 3, the one a home run). He led Carolina League catchers in fielding percentage (.995). He was 15 for 48 with 13 walks for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League and was added to Boston's 40-man roster. He split 2012 between Portland (.251/.351/.397 in 73 games) and Pawtucket (.233/.313/.425 in 22 games), going 6 for 19 with a home run in the postseason. He and fellow American Steven Lerud were the primary catchers for the Toros del Este in the 2012-2013 Dominican League; Butler hit a meek .164/.262/.274 but was second in the loop in runners thrown out (34.4%). In 2013, he hit .262/.350/.479 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 84 games for Pawtucket; he had 20 passed balls as their main catcher and threw out 30% of those who tried to swipe. He led 2013 IL backstops in passed balls and assists (54); the passed balls were a function of having knuckleballer Steven Wright as the team's busiest pitcher.

Dan played nine games in the big leagues, seven with the 2014 Sawx and two more in a 2018 cameo. He was 5-for-25 (.200) with 3 RBI overall. He retired after the '18 season and was named bullpen catcher of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019.

Sources

• 2013 Red Sox Media Guide
• Cape Cod League
• Arizona bio
• The Baseball Cube
• 2014 Baseball Almanac

Related Sites

• Dan Butler on mlb.com
• BR Minors page