Lawrence Butler

Lawrence Evan Butler

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 212 lb.
• High School Westlake High School (Atlanta)
• Debut August 11, 2023

• Born July 10, 2000 in Burlington, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Lawrence Butler had the first two-homer game of his career for the Oakland Athletics against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 4, 2023. He hit a solo homer off José Berríos in the 5th inning, then connected again with designated runner Shea Langeliers on second base as the first batter of the 10th inning against All-Star closer Jordan Romano. Unfortunately, the Jays had scored three runs in the top of the inning, and Oakland was unable to add a third run after Butler's second blast, losing the game 6-5. Coming into the game, he had two career homers in the big leagues, having made his debut with the A's on August 11th. He ended up playing 42 games that season, and hitting .211 with 4 homers and 11 RBIs for an OPS+ of 62.

The Athletics had drafted Lawrence in the 6th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of a high school in Atlanta, GA and he had not attracted too much attention while making his way through their system. He was almost let go after hitting just .177 in 55 games for the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League in that circuit's last year as an affiliated minor league in 2019, but after sitting out the 2020 season when the minors were shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, he was back with the Stockton Ports of what was called the Low-A West in 2021. He did a lot better, hitting .263 in 88 games with 17 homers, then after a late-season promotion to the Lansing Lugnuts hit .340 in his final 14 games to cap a very nice season. He was then limited to 81 games with Lansing in the Midwest League in 2022 due to an injury (he also played 3 games on a rehabilitation assignment with the ACL Athletics), but did hit .265/.351/.457. He was still in Class A four years after having been drafted, so enthusiasm was still limited. That's when he made a figurative big leap forward in 2023, reaching the majors after starting off with the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League and then playing 22 games with the Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League. He was batting a combined .284 with 15 homers and 70 RBIs in 89 games when he got the call to Oakland.

His first full major league season in 2024 was a revelation, as he turned into a feared power hitter and one of the offensive leaders on an improving Athletics team that was playing its final season in Oakland. On July 14th, he had his first-ever three-homer game in the A's last game before the All-Star break, a crushing 18-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in which they matched a team record with eight homers. Lawrence had a chance for a four-homer game as he came up in the 9th inning against position player Garrett Stubbs, who had just given up a grand slam to Zack Gelof, but he flew out to center field after taking some mighty cuts at a few very slow pitches from the catcher. He ended up with 24 doubles and 22 homers in 125 games as Oakland's regular right fielder (he had played almost exclusively in center field his first season), and scored 53 runs while driving in 57 and batting .262 for an OPS+ of 131. He was also successful on all 18 of his stolen base attempts. He also improved noticeably as the season progressed. hitting just .211 in the first half, but .300 in the second half, with more power. He had another three-homer game on August 29th, in a 10-9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He was only the second A's player after Geronimo Berroa in 1996 to have two three-homer games in one season, and the third youngest to do so in baseball history, after Ralph Kiner and Mookie Betts. Both of the games had come while he was the leadoff hitter, and that was also the third time this had been accomplished, after having been done by Betts and Kyle Schwarber.

Heading into the 2025 season, with the team having temporarily relocated to Sacramento, CA and being known simply as "The Athletics", he signed a seven-year extension worth $65.5 million on March 6th. At 24 years of age, that contract identified him as one of the faces of the franchise over the next few seasons, and its eventual move to Las Vegas, NV expected to take place in 2028. When the team played its first home game in Sacramento on March 31st, the A's paid tribute to franchise icon Rickey Henderson, who had passed away during the off-season, by having everyone wear uniform number 24 in his honor. Lawrence went one better, wearing a special pair of customized cleats featuring Rickey's likeness and also his nickname, "Man of Steal".

Notable Achievements

• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2024)

Further Reading

• Paul Casella: "A’s slug EIGHT home runs, hang 18 runs on baseball's top team", mlb.com, July 14, 2024. [1]
• Anthony Castrovince: "'Sky's the limit' for newly inked Butler. Is the same true of upstart A's?", mlb.com, March 10, 2025. [2]
• Martín Gallegos: "Butler's latest hit: A freestyle recorded in an historic NYC studio", mlb.com, April 30, 2024. [3]
• Martín Gallegos: "Butler agrees to 7-year, $65.5M extension with A's", mlb.com, March 7, 2025. [4]
• Martín Gallegos: "Butler honors late 'Man of Steal' with custom cleats; A's wear No. 24 at home opener", mlb.com, March 31, 2025. [5]

Related Sites

• Lawrence Butler on mlb.com