WASHINGTON — Blake Butera will never forget the day he accepted the job as the manager of the Washington Nationals. That’s because it was the very same day that his wife, Caroline, gave birth to their first child, daughter Blair.
“It was a long labor, and just the fact that she’s talking to me about this job opportunity while she’s laying in the hospital bed — I was like, ‘Focus on Blair, right?'” Butera said Monday during his introductory news conference at Nationals Park, 2½ weeks after that big day. “It was just a whirlwind.”
Butera, 33, sat beside new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, 35. They replaced skipper Dave Martinez and president and general manager Mike Rizzo, who are both in their 60s and were fired in July with the Nationals mired in their sixth consecutive losing season since winning the 2019 World Series.
“One of the things I thought about most is this isn’t just about [me] or the Nationals organization picking Blake,” Toboni said. “It’s like [we] want Blake to feel really good about the decision that he’s making, hopping into the Nationals organization. It was really great to get to know Blake further as the person, as opposed to just the baseball mind.”
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Butera not only has no major league game experience, his only previous stint as a manager came when he was hired at age 25 to lead the Tampa Bay Rays’ Class A, short-season minor league Hudson Valley Renegades. He became the Rays’ senior director of player development in 2023, the post he left to join Toboni in Washington.
Butera said a recommendation from Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza got Toboni’s attention.
Butera worked as the bench coach when Piazza managed Italy during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. But Piazza gave Butera additional duties.
“He basically told me he’s there to do all the media and give the speeches,” Butera said. “In terms of in-game management, he’s like, ‘You handle that,’ which is a pretty cool opportunity. Someone with his background, and on that stage, just to put his ego aside to this young kid and be like, ‘Hey, all you.’ It was something that was pretty special.”
Butera also said he was assured by Terry Francona — a two-time World Series champion and three-time AL Manager of the Year — that he could be successful in his first big league gig.
“Terry Francona reached out and [said], ‘This reminds me a lot of when I interviewed for my first managing job with the Phillies, when I did not think it was going to happen,'” Butera recalled. “So he was like, ‘Just be yourself. Be who you are. Don’t fake it. There’s a reason why they’re continuing to talk to you.'”
Butera said he contacted at least 20 current Nationals players and has been impressed by their urgency to get better on the field. He said his goal is to field a fundamentally sound team built on character and accountability.
Toboni said former Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle, a member of the 2019 championship club who was a pitching strategist on Martinez’s staff, will stay on in a coaching position. The exact title is to be determined. Toboni said Doolittle and new Nationals pitching coach Simon Mathews know each other.
