Nationals Set to Hire Blake Butera as New Manager

The Washington Nationals are reportedly taking a bold step by considering a young and untraditional choice for their next manager: 33-year-old Blake Butera. If this goes through, Butera will make history as the youngest manager in Major League Baseball since 1972, a title previously held by Frank Quilici during his first season with the Minnesota Twins.

Butera recently served as the director of senior player development for the Tampa Bay Rays after spending four seasons managing in the minors. His record over those years—258 wins to 144 losses, along with four first-place finishes—speaks to his ability. He notably led Low-A Charleston to a league championship with an impressive 170 wins against 82 losses.

Interestingly, he became a minor league manager at just 25. Before stepping into coaching, Butera played for two seasons in the Rays’ minor league system, where he had a batting average of .235. He was drafted in the 35th round of the 2015 draft, coming out of Boston University, where he also served as the captain for his team.

The Nationals’ recent shake-up saw them fire manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo back in July, after they notably led the team to a World Series championship in 2019. Interim manager Miguel Cairo recorded a 29-43 record in the aftermath of Martinez’s departure.

In September, the team appointed Paul Toboni, formerly with the Boston Red Sox, to replace Rizzo. There’s a sense of hope that the pairing of Toboni and Butera could bring the Nationals back into championship contention.