Is Billy Butler Still A Viable Option?

Billy Butler is a player that we’ve heard quite a bit about over the past few seasons.  We’ve waited with bated breath as year in and year out the Royals continue to give him opportunities and he continues to completely squander them.

In 2007, he was recalled on May 1 and showed some promise, but had yet to fully develop the power stroke needed to be a solid corner infielder in fantasy formats with just eight home runs. 

In 2008, he got off to a horrific start that resulted in him being sent back to the minors in order to try and get him back on track, which seemed to work.

He hit .305 with nine HR in the season’s second half, reinvigorating belief that now was the time for him to break out.

Thus far, 2009 has not been a very impressive tale.  Entering Tuesday’s games he was hitting .241 with 2 HR, 10 RBI and 12 R.  To make the home run total even less impressive, they both came in the same game.

It should be noted that to date (through Monday), Butler has posted a FB% of 26.6%, a terrible number.  Last season that would have placed him in the league’s bottom 10, behind light hitters like Willy Taveras (28.4%) and Fred Lewis (27.7%).  If you are simply pounding the ball into the ground (he’s got a GB% of 56.3%), it is impossible to hit home runs.

There should be some type of reprieve.  I have to believe that he’s going to improve, but his flyball rate for his career is just 33.1 percent.  Even with improvement, it just doesn’t seem like he’s going to be a big-time home run threat at this point in his career.

An interesting split is the one he’s posted between the time spent at 1B and at DH:

• 1B - .279 (17-61), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 10 R
• DH - .111 (2-18), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R

It’s easy to say that it is an entirely too small sample size to draw any conclusions from, and that is a fair point.  In 2008 he spent significantly more time at DH, and produced reasonably well with a .267 average with nine HR and 41 RBI.

Still, it seems like the Royals do see something reasonable into it, as Butler has been spending plenty of time at 1B despite the acquisition of Mike Jacobs in the offseason.  Is it their defense?  Butler has been error free this season, while Jacobs has two already (and 11 last season).

I don’t want to read too much more into it than there is, but felt like it was worth mentioning.  It’s something to monitor as we move forward to see if the trend holds any weight or not.

His average overall should be in for an improvement, with a below average BABIP of .274 at this point.  He’s a career .278 hitter in the major leagues and .336 in the minor leagues.  I’d be willing to bet that he will not hit as poorly as .241 for very long.

Is Butler a tremendous fantasy option?  I wouldn’t say so because of his lack of power potential.  If he played in the outfield or a middle infield position it could be acceptable, but as a 1B it just doesn’t fly.

He is usable in deeper formats thanks to his average potential, but make sure you have other HR options available to you.

What do you think of Butler in the early going?  Is he a player you want to own?  Do you see a big breakout coming?

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