2015 Player Projection: Drew Butera

The Angels have a new back-up catcher. His name is Drew Butera, but he might actually just be a handsome version of Jeff Mathis.

What happened in 2014?
Drew Butera completed his fifth season in the majors and for the fifth time (OK, fourth, he barely played in 2013) he was probably the worst hitting position player in the majors. That is only a slight exaggeration.

Butera really just can’t hit at all and never has. Yet he has somehow managed to keep a big league job. Granted, it is the job of a little-used back-up catcher, but it is good work if you can get.

As we discussed in the pitch framing post last week, Butera is a pretty good defensive catcher, nothing special, but he’s pretty good. That actually only makes it weirder that he’s survived this long because there are plenty of pretty good defensive catchers that can’t hit a lick. In some respects, he’s kind of like the new Jeff Mathis.

[table id=87 /] *The MWAH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research (my wOBA calculation is approximate because my math skills are only “meh”)

What do the projections think he will do in 2015?
They all agree, he stinks. Seriously, they are all pretty much the exact same awful projection. The only “positive” is that they all project him to be just barely above replacement level.

Does the Monkey agree or disagree?
I agree that he stinks, but I think he will REALLY stink. In fact, I think that he’s going to end up getting dumped at some point in favor of someone who can be at least a tiny bit of a threat with the bat. Seriously, if Iannetta ever goes on the DL, I can’t imagine that the Halos would be OK with letting Butera take over starting duties for any period of time. That seems like a scenario that could actually happen and force the Angels to go out and make move to replace Butera entirely.

THREE OPEN QUESTIONS FOR DREW BUTERA IN 2015
1) Is Butera a lock to win the back-up catcher job?
Yeah, pretty much. The Halos like Carlos Perez and Drew Butera, but they also like having organizational depth. They won’t have that depth if Butera doesn’t win the job because he is out of options and thus would be exposed to waivers. It is possible he’d go unclaimed, but that’s not a chance the Angels are going to want to take even if Butera really just isn’t that good. The only way he doesn’t make the roster is if he falls apart defensively or if Perez suddenly explodes offensively.

2) Assuming he makes the roster, how much will he play?
He shouldn’t play much, but he might. We are talking about Scioscia and catcher management here. A normal manager would notice how inept Butera is with his bat and keep his usage to a minimum, but Scioscia is no normal manager. He also needs to keep Chris Iannetta fresh and healthy, so he’s got to play Butera a certain amount just to meet that goal, even if Butera is a sub-replacement level player.

3) Is Scioscia going to let Butera pitch?
Let’s be honest, this is all anyone really wants to know about Butera. He’s made three pitching appearances in his career and managed to fan three batters in 2.2 innings of work. Yes, it is a stupid novelty, but that doesn’t make it not fun.

Alas, Scioscia has all but shot down this possibility already. I AM DISAPPOINT.

The Final Word (and GIF)
“Blue Steel”

Aside from pitching, Butera’s best skill really seems to be his dashing good looks. Yep, a good pitching arm and a man with a handsome profile, what more could you want in a back-up catcher?