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This morning, the Washington Nationals officially named Blake Butera the eighth manager in team history. Butera’s name goes next to some of the greats in baseball history like Frank Robinson, Davey Johnson, Dusty Baker, and yes, even Dave Martinez who hoisted the World Series trophy for the Washington Nationals exactly six years ago last night. Today’s announcement was made by Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni.
Speaking about yesterday, Butera became a father with the birth of his daughter with his wife, Caroline Margolis, who he met when they were both student athletes at Boston College. While Margolis was a lacrosse star, Butera was a baseball star there. Caroline had baseball in her family as her uncle, Bob Bailor, was a long-time major league player. They currently live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and had managed living in different locations in the past. Obviously a baseball manager spends a lot of time on the road, and Caroline has been working as an attorney. They say that Washington, D.C. has the highest percentage of lawyers in the country.
“I am incredibly honored to be named the manager of the Washington Nationals. … This franchise has a proud history, a passionate fanbase and a standard of excellence that I deeply respect. My family and I are fortunate to be part of it. I’m excited to get to work alongside our players, coaches and staff to build something special — a team that is rooted in trust, connection and competitiveness. We want to represent this city and our fans in a way they can be proud of, and we’re ready to get started.”
— Butera said in a statement published by the Nationals
Butera, 33, joins the Nationals after spending the previous two seasons as the senior director of player development for the Tampa Bay Rays, one of the most well-respected player development operations in Major League Baseball. He served as the Rays’ Minor League field coordinator in 2023 following four seasons (2018–22) as a manager in their Minor League system. And before that, Butera was a minor league player in the Tampa system after he was drafted by the Rays out of Boston College. At Single-A Charleston, Butera was named Carolina League Manager of the Year in 2021 and 2022, won the Carolina League championship both seasons, and the 2022 club was named Minor League Team of the Year by Baseball America. In four seasons, Butera’s clubs went 258–144 (.642) and finished in first place each year.
What Butera doesn’t have in Major League experience will be something that he will learn quickly, and Spring Training camp opens in just over 110 days. Before that, he has a lot of homework to do as he builds out his coaching staff.
“I’ve always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role.”
“Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level.”
“He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C. We’re so excited to welcome him to the Nationals family.”
— Toboni said about the hiring of Butera
As the accolades roll in about Butera, we all know that the true judgement comes in wins and losses. His MLB record will mostly define him as a manager. And don’t be surprised by the fan skepticism with a manager who is younger than pitcher Trevor Williams. But age didn’t stop Butera being successful in Tampa’s system as a 25 year old manager who was the youngest in minor league baseball. Few have the résumé that Butera already has at his age. They said the same about Toboni who is just 35.
The Los Angeles Rams hired a 30 year old head coach, Sean McVay, and five years later he was the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl. Age is a number. You hope that Butera finds that same level of success with the Nationals and exceed it.
My belief is you have to take a manager like Butera and surround him with great coaches, and the key is a bench coach who isn’t like-minded. You would hope his bench coach has previous MLB managerial experience. Expect names to emerge shortly as to coaches added to the staff.
In the meantime, free agency opens in a few days, and the Nationals DFA’d Jorge Alfaro, and he opted to become a free agency. The Nationals are now down to seven arb-eligible players on the roster. As Toboni builds out his front office, other decisions will be coming up.
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