Drew Butera

[William Malone]

Andrew Edward Butera was born on August 9, 1983 in Evansville, Indiana.

The New York Mets selected him in round five of the 2005 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins for veteran second baseman Luis Castillo at the deadline in 2007.

Butera made his Major League debut in 2010, making the Opening Day roster after projected back-up catcher José Morales got injured during spring training. He slashed .197/.237/.296 (.533) in 49 games as a rookie. His first big league home run came in dramatic fashion on June 19th against the Philadelphia Phillies. Butera launched a tenth inning, tie breaking home run while pinch hitting for Matt Guerrier in a game played under National League rules. Minnesota won the game 13-10.

He returned to the Twins in 2011, seeing an increase in playing time after Joe Mauer was forced out of action due to bilateral leg weakness. His offensive numbers got even worse from the year prior, finishing with a .167/.210/.239 slash line over 93 games. Butera caught Franciaco Liriano's no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on May 3, 2011. He delivered a walk-off single against the San Diego Padres on June 19, 2011.

Minnesota signed free agent catcher Ryan Doumit ahead of the 2012 campaign, and Butera began that season in Triple-A. Doumit got a lot of playing time as a corner outfielder and designated hitter, causing the Twins to occasionally call up Butera to serve as a third catcher. He appeared in 42 games that season, slashing .198/.270/.297 with one home run and five RBI. Butera spent most of 2013 in Triple-A, appearing in only two Major League games for the Twins. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline.

The rest of his career was spent as a journeyman backup catcher. Butera played for the Dodgers (2013-14), Los Angeles Angels (2015 and 2021), Kansas City Royals (2015-18) and Colorado Rockies (2018-20). He won a World Series with the Royals in 2015 as the backup catcher to Salvador Perez, appearing in three games off the bench that October.

Butera played for Team Italy in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic. His father, Sal Butera, won a World Series with the Twins in 1987. As of 2025, he is on the Major League coaching staff for the Chicago White Sox. Butera had previously been on the Los Angeles Angels coaching staff in 2022 and 2023.

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