Andrew Edward Butera (; born August 9, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

who is currently on the coaching staff of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. The , right-hander is the son of former major league catcher Sal Butera. Butera became the fifth catcher to catch a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in both the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

( Francisco Liriano, 2011) and

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

(

Josh Beckett Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Afte ...

, 2014). Butera has also pitched scoreless

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s in both leagues, with a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

reaching the mid-90s. In 2020, he became the first position player ever to pitch a scoreless ninth inning after the other team had scored in each of the first eight innings.

Amateur career

Butera played baseball and golf at Bishop Moore High School in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, graduating in 2002. He was selected by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in the 48th round of the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis (author), Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first r ...

but opted instead to attend the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

(UCF). In 2004, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. In 2019, he was inducted into the UCF athletics hall of fame.

Professional career

New York Mets

Butera was selected by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

in the 5th round of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

. He signed with the Mets and made his professional debut that summer with the Low-A

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...

. In 2006, he played for the Single-A

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A (baseball), Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They pl ...

, slashing .186/.297/.281 with 5 home runs and 38 RBI. In 2007, Butera batted .258/.348/.418 with five

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and 22

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

for the

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

and was named a

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

. Following the All-Star game, Butera was promoted to the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

Minnesota Twins

The Mets traded Butera and Dustin Martin on July 30, 2007 to the

for second baseman Luis Castillo. After the trade, Butera finished the year with the Double-A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...

. He remained in New Britain for the 2008 season, and posted a .219/.308/.354 batting line with 7 home runs and 39 RBI. On November 19, 2008, he was added to the Twins'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. After playing winter ball with Lobos de Arecibo of the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, Butera made the Twins out of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2010. He made his major league debut on April 9, 2010, against the

, and got his first major league hit against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

on April 22. He hit his first career MLB home run in a 13–10 11-inning win against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

on June 19. As the Twins backup catcher, he appeared in 49 games in 2010, hitting .197/.237/.296 with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs in 155 plate appearances. On May 3, 2011, Butera caught Francisco Liriano's

. In 2011 with the Twins, he batted .167/.210/.239 with two home runs and 23 RBIs in 254 plate appearances. Butera began 2012 with the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. After hitting .279 in 15 games with 1 home run and 5 RBI, he was called up to the Twins in May. On May 20, 2012, Butera pitched the eighth inning of the Twins 16–4 loss to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. Butera pitched a scoreless inning, issuing a walk and striking out

Carlos Gómez Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, (; born December 4, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Ra ...

. He threw a

and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

. In 2012 for the Twins, he batted .198/.270/.279 with one home runs and 5 RBIs in 111 at bats. After playing the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

for

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, Butera only appeared in two games for the Twins, spending most of his time with Rochester, where he hit .229 in 26 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 31, 2013, Butera was traded to the

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. He was then optioned to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

. In 16 games with the Isotopes, he hit .135. The Dodgers called him up on September 1. He appeared in five games for the Dodgers and had one hit in seven at bats. 20140919 Drew Butera

On May 15, 2014, in a 13–3 blowout loss to the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, Butera pitched a scoreless 9th inning, with his fastball reaching the mid-90s on the

radar gun A radar speed gun, also known as a radar gun, speed gun, or speed trap gun, is a device used to measure the speed of moving objects. It is commonly used by police to check the speed of moving vehicles while conducting Traffic police, traffic enf ...

. On May 25, 2014, Butera caught

's no-hitter, becoming only the fifth catcher to catch a no-hitter in the American League and National League. He was the Dodgers' backup catcher all season and hit .188/.267/.288 in 192 plate appearances in 61 games, with three home runs and 14 RBIs. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on December 5.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On December 9, 2014 the Dodgers traded Butera to the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Angels sent minor leaguer Matt Long to the Dodgers on December 18 to complete the trade. Butera batted 4-for-21 for the Angels to start the 2015 season. On May 4, Butera was designated for assignment.

Kansas City Royals

Butera was traded on May 7, 2015, to the

in exchange for Ryan Jackson. Butera spent the latter part of the 2015 campaign as the backup for All-Star catcher

Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Perez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "El Niño" and "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a nine-time MLB All-Sta ...

. In 2015 for the Royals, he batted .198/.266/.267 with one home run and five RBIs in 99 plate appearances. Butera played a role in the 8th-inning comeback in Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, with the Royals down two games to one and facing elimination. Butera entered the game after Perez was lifted for a pinch-runner. Beginning the 8th inning down 6–2, the game was tied at 6 when Butera came to the plate. He drew a 10-pitch walk with one out to load the bases, enabling the following batter,

Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professional ...

, to hit an RBI grounder to drive in the game-winning run. In the deciding Game 5 of the

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Lea ...

, Perez hit a single in the top of the 12th inning and was replaced by pinch runner Jarrod Dyson, who came around to score the game-winning run. Butera then entered as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the 12th inning and caught the season-ending strikeout from closer Wade Davis to clinch the Royals' championship. In 2016, Butera pitched in two games, both blowout losses. On June 25, Butera pitched in the 9th inning, facing four batters, striking out one, and giving up no runs in a 13–5 loss to the Astros. On July 26, Butera pitched the final out of the top of the 9th inning, facing only

Johnny Giavotella Johnny Arthur Giavotella (born July 10, 1987) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, and Baltimore Orioles. Early life Giavotella was ...

who grounded out in a 13–0 loss to the Angels. In 2016 with the Royals, Butera batted .285/.328/.480 with 4 home runs and 16 RBIs in 133 plate appearances. He had the second strongest throwing arm among MLB catchers, trailing only Christian Bethancourt. In 2017 for the Royals, he batted .227/.284/.319 with 3 home runs and 14 RBIs in 177 plate appearances. In the first five months of the 2018 season, he batted .188/.259/.289 with 2 home runs and 18 RBIs in 166 plate appearances for the Royals.

Colorado Rockies

On August 31, 2018, Butera was traded to the

in exchange for pitcher Jerry Vasto. Butera hit 3-for-14 for the Rockies in September 2018. He was a defensive substitute in the

Wild Card Game The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

, drawing one walk in three plate appearances and committing catcher interference during a

Tommy La Stella Thomas Frank La Stella (born January 31, 1989) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and ...

plate appearance. Butera elected free agency on October 29, 2018.

Philadelphia Phillies

On February 5, 2019, Butera signed a minor league contract with the

with an invitation to

. If added to the team's 40-man roster, he would have received $1.3 million while in the majors and $210,000 while in the minors. The contract allowed Butera to opt out by March 21. Butera later exercised this opt-out clause, granting him his release.

Colorado Rockies (second stint)

On March 25, 2019, Butera signed a minor league contract with the Rockies. Butera had his contract selected on April 15. Butera was designated for assignment on May 3 and outrighted on May 7. On September 3, the Rockies selected his contract to the active roster. In 2019 with Colorado, Butera batted .163/.229/.233 with no homers and 3 RBI. He became a free agent after the season but re-signed with the Rockies on another minor league contract on December 18. Butera had his contract selected to the Rockies roster on July 22, 2020, before the start of the shortened 2020 season. In 2020 with the Rockies, Butera slashed .154/.190/.205 with no home runs and 4 RBI. He was frequently a defensive replacement, coming to bat only 43 times in 28 games. He became a free agent after the season.

Texas Rangers

On January 12, 2021, Butera signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization. On March 27, 2021, Butera was released, but re-signed with the Rangers on a new minor league contract the same day.

Los Angeles Angels (second stint)

On May 7, 2021, Butera was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations and was selected to the 40-man roster. After hitting .094 in 12 games, Butera was designated for assignment by the Angels. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

on June 1. On August 31, Butera was released by the Angels.

Houston Astros

On August 31, 2021, Butera signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Sugar Land Skeeters, where he played the final 15 games of his professional career. He elected free agency on November 7.

International career

Butera played for the Italian national baseball team in the

(WBC) and 2017 WBC. His grandmother was born in Italy. His father Sal was a coach for the Italian team in 2017. Butera was 3-for-16 with a home run and double in the 2013 WBC. He hit two solo home runs four games in the 2017 tournament, tied for the 8th most home runs in the tournament.

Coaching career

On April 5, 2022, Butera retired from professional baseball and joined the

as the team's bullpen coach. On November 7, 2023, the

announced Butera as the team's catching coach. He remained with the White Sox headed into 2025 after the club's historically poor record and change in managers.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butera, Drew 1983 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen American people of Italian descent Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Colorado Rockies players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Hagerstown Suns players Kansas City Royals players Lobos de Arecibo players Los Angeles Angels players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball catchers Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players North Shore Honu players Orleans Firebirds players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players St. Lucie Mets players Sugar Land Skeeters players UCF Knights baseball players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players Bishop Moore High School alumni Baseball players from Orlando, Florida