The Washington Nationals have found their new manager.

Blake Butera, a 33-year-old who has worked in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, will take over the job in D.C., the team announced on Friday.

“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,” said Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, who was hired last month. “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.”

It’s been quite a week for the new Nationals manager. On Thursday, Butera and his wife, Caroline Margolis, welcomed their first child, Blair Margaux Butera.

Advertisement

According to ESPN, Butera will be the youngest MLB manager since Frank Quilici was promoted midseason by the Minnesota Twins in 1972 at 33 years and 27 days old.

Butera served in numerous roles with the Rays, from player to coach to manager to minor-league field coordinator, before he took over as senior director of player development in October 2023.

He also served as one of Mike Piazza’s bench coaches for Team Italy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

[Get more Nationals news: Washington team feed]

As far as managing experience, Butera led the New York-Penn League’s Hudson Valley Renegades for two seasons before guiding Low-A Charleston to a league title in two seasons with the Riverdogs. He compiled a 258-144 record, and his teams finished in first place four times.

Advertisement

In July, the Nationals fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. Bench coach Miguel Cairo served as interim manager for the remainder of the season. Cairo was informed last week that he was out of the mix for the manager’s job, and several coaches were told they will not return unless the next manager decides to retain them.

Butera and Toboni have plenty of work ahead of them. While the Nationals have stars in outfielder James Wood, starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams, they do not have one of the league’s top prospect pools. They did add to it in July by selecting high school shortstop Eli Willits No. 1 overall in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Advertisement

The Nationals have not made the postseason since they won the World Series in 2019. They’ve finished last in the NL East in four of the past six seasons and have lost at least 91 games every year since 2021.