It’s not often that minor league players are traded, but when they are you can bet it’s because the organization that receives them thought quite highly of their potential. So it is with this week’s Shorebird of the Week, Tony Butler.
Butler was one of the players picked up from the Seattle Mariners in the trade which sent out former Oriole (and Shorebird) Eric Bedard. While Bedard just recently returned from the disabled list for his new team, Tony has been a stopper on the mound for Delmarva since the season began and pitched 6 innings of shutout ball last night while fanning nine. Unfortunately, he got a no-decision when the game was tied in the seventh but nevertheless the Shorebirds won a 2-1 thriller made possible in part by Tony’s solid mound performance.
It’s an oddity in pitching that good performance isn’t always rewarded and so-so efforts get wins. Tony picked up his only victory on the season in a rough start at West Virginia but stands with a 1-1 record and 3.41 ERA. More importantly, the nine strikeouts last night give him 24 on the young season against just 4 walks. While batters have collected 30 hits off Butler in 29 innings pitched, the low walk total gives him a solid 1.17 WHIP.
Last season Tony pitched for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League. The Mariners’ farm club there is roughly comparable to ours, so doing well in what amounts to his second tour of duty at this level will probably earn him a reasonably fast promotion to Frederick. With Wisconsin Tony was 4-7 with a 4.75 ERA in 20 games, 18 of them starts. So far in 2008 Butler’s done quite a bit better with his command because in 2007 he walked 46 batters in 85 1/3 innings, and at only 20 years of age the 6′-7″ lefty and Mariners’ third pick in the 2006 draft out of Oak Creek HS in Wisconsin can be groomed into an imposing figure on the mound for the Orioles someday. Perhaps then they’ll be asking, “Eric who?”
By the way, I actually had a suggestion from Shorebirds GM Chris Bitters for a different player as SotW, so the word is spreading. That person was also worthy of selection but I decided on Butler because Tony may not be around all that long if he continues to pitch well.