Butera, new Nationals manager: A historic day, father and boss

Blake Butera Takes Command of the Nationals on an Unforgettable Day

WASHINGTON – Blake Butera will always remember the day he accepted the manager position for the Washington Nationals. The coincidence was that on that same day, his wife, Caroline, gave birth to their first daughter, Blair.

“It was a long labor, and the fact that she was talking to me about this job opportunity while I was in the hospital bed… I was thinking, ‘Focus on Blair, right?'”, Butera commented on Monday during his introductory press conference at Nationals Park, two and a half weeks after that big day. “It was a whirlwind”.

Blake Butera

Butera, 33, was accompanied by the new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, 35. Both replace Dave Martinez and president and general manager Mike Rizzo, who were fired in July, with the Nationals mired in their sixth consecutive losing season since winning the World Series in 2019.

“One of the things I thought about the most is that this isn’t just about [me] or the Nationals organization choosing Blake,” Toboni said. “It’s like [we want] Blake to feel really good about the decision he’s making, joining the Nationals organization. It was really great to get to know Blake more in depth as a person, rather than just his baseball mind.”

Paul Toboni

Butera, despite not having experience in Major League games, his only previous experience as a manager was when he was hired at 25 to manage the Hudson Valley Renegades, a Class A minor league team of the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2023, he became the senior director of player development for the Rays, a position he left to join Toboni in Washington. According to Butera, a recommendation from Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza caught Toboni’s attention. Butera worked as a bench coach when Piazza managed Italy during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Piazza gave Butera additional responsibilities.

“Basically he told me that he would take care of all the media and the speeches,” said Butera. “As for the game management, he said: ‘You take care of that’, which is a pretty cool opportunity. Someone with his experience, and in that scenario, just setting aside his ego for this young man and saying: ‘Hey, it’s all yours’. It was something special”.

Blake Butera

Butera also stated that Terry Francona, a two-time World Series champion and three-time American League Manager of the Year, assured him that he could succeed in his first job in the Major Leagues.

“Terry Francona reached out and [said]: ‘This reminds me a lot of when I interviewed for my first manager job with the [Phillies], when I didn’t think it was going to happen,'” Butera recalled. “So he said, ‘Be yourself. Be who you are. Don’t pretend. There’s a reason they keep talking to you.'”.

Blake Butera

Butera mentioned that he contacted at least 20 current Nationals players and was impressed by their urgency to improve on the field. His goal is to build a team with solid foundations, built on character and responsibility. Toboni reported that former Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle, a member of the 2019 championship team who was a pitching strategist on Martinez’s staff, will remain in a coaching position. The exact title is yet to be determined. Toboni indicated that Doolittle and the Nationals’ new pitching coach, Simon Mathews, know each other.