Yardbarker: Billy Butler

Billy Butler’s 2009 vs. Alex Gordon’s 2008

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:00:17 -0500

Billy Butler's 2009 performance for the Kansas City Royals was one of the few bright spots for the team's miserable season, and he is now considered The (non-Greinke) Man in KC. Alex Gordon is on the outs with many fans... but was his 2008 performance really worse than Butler's 2009?

Hypothetically Speaking: The Billy Butler Contract Extension

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

The Royals have very few building blocks to build around. Outside of Zack Greinke, Joakim Soria, and Billy Butler, the Royals still have tons to figure out before they become a contending team agin.However, both Greinke and Soria are signed to long term contracts, so is it time for the Royals to look into giving Butler an extension? Butler is under team control for the next four years, but now seems like a good time for the Royals and their young slugger to look into a contract extension.Howe...

Non Sequitur Stats of the Day

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:05:22 -0500

In 2009: Ichiro grounded into 24 less double plays than Lopez did. Billy Butler hit 51 doubles. Billy Butler plays for the Royals. Billy Butler plays first base. Hmmmm….. Shane Victorino led the league with 13 triples. Had Mark Reynolds never struck out, he would have batted .341. Unfortunately, he did – 223 times, in fact – and thus [...]

Here's something odd: Billy Butler's Mystery Pitching Performance

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:42:57 -0500

I recently was browsing thru Billy Butler's minor league stats on baseball-reference.com and noticed that Butler has 4.1 innings of pitching (1 game) on his resume from 2004 in rookie league ball. I thought that was very odd, for many reasons, not the least of which was it obviously not a "mop up" in a blowout, since he allegedly faced 25 batters. I then did some research, and found that Billy Buckner was on the same team that year, and thought to myself - well, that's a...

Actually, Billy Butler Has Been Pretty Bad Defensively

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:30:15 -0500

Billy Butler's offensive breakout, evidenced by a .306/.367/.501 line, has been one of the real bright spots for the Royals this season. Butler's been a patient hitter to go with a .300 average, and he's shown some of the power we've been waiting for. After all, the guy slugged .400 last season. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG 2009 - Billy Butler 156 595 78 182 51 1 21 93 58 99 1 0 .306 .367 .501 As has been noted by many, Butler's ...

Alex Gordon Versus Billy Butler = WAR

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:02:17 -0500

WAR stands for Wins Above Replacement, and the WARs of Alex Gordon and Billy Butler have been getting a little run among Royals fans today. Another thing that has gotten some attention is Alex Gordon’s disposition while he was in AAA recently. This was posted over on Number 4 – The Smirk this afternoon, and I [...]

D12: Billy Butler's emergence gives Royals another bright spot

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:20:27 -0500

Welcome to 'Duk's Dozen, a streamlined selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items to start your baseball day. It welcomes your email submissions or Twitter tips. 1. With 41 doubles, Billy Butler(notes) is starting to make the Pepsi people look like geniuses. BallStar2. The Machine was apparently no match for Beatles Rock Band. Joe Posnanski3. Some Cubs fans think luring La Russa to Chicago would fix things, but most don't. Hire Jim Essian4. Brad Lidge's(notes) futility...

Crown Gems: Bret Saberhagen, Johnny Damon, Billy Butler, and More

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:58:11 -0500

In this edition of Crown Gems; Royals 20-game winners and 200 hits seasons, Billy Butler, personal records, more on Dayton Moore, and an overdue recap of Thursday nights KC Hamfighters softball game. The Hardball Times had an interesting post regarding the Longest franchise droughts without a 20-game winner. As author Chris Jaffe points out, this year [...]

Billy Butler, Contracts, and the 2004 Draft

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:21:55 -0500

Yesterday Sam Mellinger wrote a post about the impressive company the 23 year old Butler is keeping statistically and posed the question, “when should the Royals start thinking about locking him up long term?” The answer is plainly written all around Kauffman stadium and the Royals organization. The Royals should start thinking about locking him up [...]

Billy Butler and Joe DiMaggio? Pepsi sees a connection

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:20:45 -0500

If you've watched any type of baseball over the past month, you've no doubt seen the diamond-themed version of Pepsi's "Refresh Everything" campaign. As with a previous version of the ad, the soft drink attempts to draw parallels between past and present with suggestions for this generation's crop of new icons It's not a totally bad idea, though its execution sometimes makes you wonder if its creators are living in the same world we are. Take the baseball versio...

6th Grade Quarterback Being Recruited

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:13:46 -0500

When you hear stories about guys like Billy Butler, you start to wonder about the Current State of College Recruiting. Is a guy like Butler altruistically putting aside his own profit-making plans to help high school kids make good decisions about where to play collegiate football, or is it all a plot to add some bucks to his bankroll while making it seem that he has the kids' best interests in mind? You already know my opinion. Besides the multiple runners trying to have an influence on the decisions that these kids will make concerning college and selecting an agent, scouts, families, and agents are destroying youth athletics by the day. As previously mentioned, an eighth grader signed a Letter Of Intent with the University of Kentucky, an 11-year-old has been shopped around by his father on YouTube, and recently, the NCAA officially lowered the grade-level age of "recruitable" boys' basketball prospects from ninth to seventh.

The latest: A 12-year-old, 6th grade quarterback is being recruited by various colleges. While the NCAA complains about the ruling handed down by Judge Tygh M. Tone in Andrew A. Oliver vs. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al. the NCAA is turning its cheek to the terrible recruiting going on by its member institutions. The NCAA is so concerned that a senior high-school player not have an advisor play too large of a role in his decision making process, but allows 12-year-old boys to receive questionnaires from its member institutions?

David Sills is being coached by one of the best: Steve Clarkson. Besides teaching Sills proper throwing mechanics, Clarkson has also been given the green light to aid Sills in handling college recruiters.

I am happy for David and his family that he was blessed with great talents at such a young age, but seriously, give the kid a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and throw in some Gushers?try your best to give the kid a normal childhood. Let's start putting a fix to this terrible state of recruiting.

Fantasy Baseball Hot or Not - Week 10

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:41:34 -0500

Welcome back to another edition of Hot or Not. We've got Hotness, we've got Notness, and we've got an emotional good-bye to...Billy Butler. Let's get to it.

Lineup Literacy: Week 17

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:40:39 -0500

The GNUru is back with another edition of Lineup Literacy. The GNUru breaks down the hot pitchers and hitter as well as a list of those pitchers schedule to take the bump twice in week 17.!!! In this weeks edition the GNUru also lists a few new players to the fantasy baseball world that are worth keeping an eye on!