One can pontificate as to whether the A’s were premature in working out an extension with Lawrence Butler or whether they were savvy to get a very affordable deal when they could. Either way, what’s hard to dispute is that following a promising start to the season, Butler has tanked something fierce.
How bad is it statistically? He has 75 plate appearances dating back to April 23rd (the day Nick Kurtz was called up and Tyler Soderstrom moved to LF). In the “Nick Kurtz era” Butler is 11 for 74 — that’s a .149 batting average — and he walked exactly once (.160 OBP) while striking out 29 times (38.7% K rate).
Perhaps as troubling, if not more so, is Butler’s seemingly defeated demeanor as he waves at chase sliders, changeups and splitters like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football, then whiffs on a fastball above the zone as if even he doesn’t expect to make contact.
He has the look of a batter who has declared himself out before striding to the plate to fulfill his prediction. In the dugout he just often looks sad and troubled.
Perhaps some of this is tied into the same personality that lights up the room when he is clicking. Butler plays with emotion and that includes the full range. He brings confidence to the job, which means when that confidence is shaken — and this game will humble anyone — he has farther to fall.
The question, of course, is whether and when Butler will recover to become the player the A’s eagerly signed for 2 seasons beyond his free agent year. You only have to look back to 2024 to see how high the upside is — and you only have to look to Zack Gelof and hundreds of others before him to see how quickly fortunes can change.
What’s hard is to figure out how to get Butler back on track. Manager Mark Kotsay has tried a couple “mental health days off” and he has moved Butler down in the order ostensibly to take some pressure off.
So far nothing has worked as the A’s leadoff hitter turned #5-#6 hitter just looks worse with each passing day. He is 4 for his last 38 and his at bats are getting more and more lacking in confidence or plan.
Ultimately, the A’s don’t really have a whole lot of choices. They can keep trotting him out there every day trusting the tide will turn back sooner rather than later. They can continue sitting him now and then, especially against LHP against whom he is batting just .132/.175/.237 this season with a 37.5% K rate. They can act more drastically and option him to AAA, as they just did with Osvaldo Bido. They can send him to a shrink, a pastor, or a mystic healer — perhaps if they’re lucky they can find someone who is all 3.
It’s a tough spot for the A’s to be in. How would you handle it if you were the manager, and how would you handle it if you were the front office? Personally I don’t know the answer, but what’s easy to say is that the A’s need Lawrence Butler to return to form. And fast.