Brett Butler, baseball player, 1981-1997

Brett Butler

Born: 6/15/1957 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1981-08-20 | Final Game: 1997-09-28

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: Brett Morgan Butler

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Biography

Brett Butler was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional speed and versatility as a position player during his career from 1981 to 1997. Born in 1957, Butler played a total of 2,213 games, where he demonstrated his ability to hit for average and generate offense. He compiled 2,375 hits over his career, finishing with a batting average of .29, and contributed 54 home runs and 578 RBIs. Notably, he was a prolific base-stealer, amassing 558 stolen bases, which underscored his status as one of the premier leadoff hitters of his time. Butler was recognized for his talent with an All-Star selection, highlighting his impact during an era that valued speed and contact hitting. His playing style was characterized by a patient approach at the plate and an ability to get on base, making him a crucial component of the lineup for the teams he played for, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. Throughout his career, Butler not only left a lasting mark with his offensive contributions but also helped redefine the role of the leadoff hitter in the game, paving the way for future generations of players who prioritized speed and on-base skills.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2213 8180 1359 2375 277 131 54 578 558 1129 907 0.290 0.377 0.376 0.753 11865.6

Career AVG .290 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.

Career OBP .377 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — +15.1% above league average.

Career SLG .376 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.753 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1981 ATL NL 40 126 17 32 2 3 0 4 9 19 17 0.254 .255 (-1%) .320 (+10%) .368 (-14%) .688 (-3%) 2.6
1982 ATL NL 89 240 35 52 2 0 0 7 21 25 35 0.217 .261 (-17%) .324 (-10%) .388 (-42%) .712 (-28%) -1110.0
1983 ATL NL 151 549 84 154 21 13 5 37 39 54 56 0.281 .260 (+8%) .324 (+6%) .389 (+1%) .714 (+3%) 362.1
1984 CLE AL 159 602 108 162 25 9 3 49 52 86 62 0.269 .259 (+4%) .322 (+12%) .384 (-8%) .707 (+1%) 443.4
1985 CLE AL 152 591 106 184 28 14 5 50 47 63 42 0.311 .257 (+21%) .323 (+17%) .390 (+10%) .714 (+13%) 1645.9
1986 CLE AL 161 587 92 163 17 14 4 51 32 70 65 0.278 .257 (+8%) .325 (+9%) .395 (-5%) .720 (+1%) 295.7
1987 CLE AL 137 522 91 154 25 8 9 41 33 91 55 0.295 .262 (+12%) .331 (+21%) .415 (+2%) .746 (+10%) 1474.0
1988 SFG NL 157 568 109 163 27 9 6 43 43 97 64 0.287 .254 (+13%) .317 (+24%) .377 (+5%) .695 (+14%) 2016.5
1989 SFG NL 154 594 100 168 22 4 4 36 31 59 69 0.283 .254 (+11%) .319 (+9%) .375 (-6%) .694 (+1%) 304.4
1990 SFG NL 160 622 108 192 20 9 3 44 51 90 62 0.309 .257 (+20%) .324 (+22%) .385 (avg) .710 (+10%) 1701.4
1991 LAD NL 161 615 112 182 13 5 2 38 38 108 79 0.296 .255 (+16%) .323 (+24%) .384 (-11%) .708 (+5%) 1305.2
1992 LAD NL 157 553 86 171 14 11 3 39 41 95 67 0.309 .255 (+21%) .322 (+28%) .377 (+4%) .699 (+15%) 2171.8
1993 LAD NL 156 607 80 181 21 10 1 42 39 86 69 0.298 .265 (+12%) .332 (+17%) .403 (-8%) .735 (+3%) 760.6
1994 LAD NL 111 417 79 131 13 9 8 33 27 68 52 0.314 .269 (+16%) .338 (+21%) .424 (+5%) .763 (+12%) 1291.8
1995 NYN NL 90 367 54 114 13 7 1 25 21 43 42 0.311 .266 (+16%) .337 (+13%) .417 (-6%) .755 (+2%) 274.5
1995 LAD NL 39 146 24 40 5 2 0 13 11 24 9 0.274 .266 (+3%) .337 (+9%) .417 (-20%) .755 (-7%) 274.5
1996 LAD NL 34 131 22 35 1 1 0 8 8 9 22 0.267 .269 (-1%) .340 (-8%) .426 (-32%) .767 (-21%) -499.4
1997 LAD NL 105 343 52 97 8 3 0 18 15 42 40 0.283 .266 (+6%) .336 (+8%) .419 (-23%) .756 (-9%) -441.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 49 8 12 1 0 0 2 5 7 0.245

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1995 NLDS2 LAN 3 15 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.267
1989 NLCS SFN 5 19 6 4 0 0 0 0 3 3 0.211
1989 WS SFN 4 14 1 4 1 0 0 1 2 1 0.286
1982 NLCS ATL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2159 2080 5296 122 41 32

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 ATL OF 37 33 76 2 1 0
1982 ATL OF 77 55 129 2 0 0
1983 ATL OF 143 130 284 13 4 4
1984 CLE OF 156 149 448 13 4 3
1985 CLE OF 150 148 437 19 1 5
1986 CLE OF 159 151 434 9 3 3
1987 CLE OF 136 135 393 4 4 2
1988 SFN OF 155 150 395 3 5 1
1989 SFN OF 152 149 407 11 6 3
1990 SFN OF 159 158 420 4 6 0
1991 LAN OF 161 160 372 8 0 3
1992 LAN OF 155 152 353 9 2 3
1993 LAN OF 155 154 369 6 0 0
1994 LAN OF 111 108 260 8 2 2
1995 NYN OF 90 88 207 6 1 1
1995 LAN OF 38 39 75 0 1 0
1996 LAN OF 34 34 74 1 1 0
1997 LAN OF 91 87 163 4 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 182
Center Field 1987
Right Field 10
Designated Hitter 2

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1996 Branch Rickey Award
1996 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-07-22
1992 Player of the Month July
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-07-25

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1997 LAN NL $1,733,304
1996 LAN NL $2,000,000
1995 NYN NL $2,000,000
1994 LAN NL $3,500,000
1993 LAN NL $3,333,333
1992 LAN NL $3,333,333
1991 LAN NL $2,833,333
1990 SFN NL $1,100,000
1989 SFN NL $900,000
1988 SFN NL $900,000
1987 CLE AL $765,000
1986 CLE AL $850,000
1985 CLE AL $425,000
Total Career Earnings $23,673,303

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant OK 1977, 1978, 1979

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1994 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 1.0 392 0
1992 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 2.0 336 0
1991 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 103.0 336 1
1990 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 2.0 336 0
1989 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 3.0 336 0
1988 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 2.0 336 0