Royals first baseman Billy Butler ranks among the league leaders in batting average. It's a pretty remarkable feat for a guy who looks as though he receives regular custard injections. Lugging that weight out of the batter's box, Bam Bam just doesn't beat out many ground balls.
The Royals drafted Butler in 2004, after he completed his senior year of high school. It's a choice that Allard Baird, the Royals G.M. from 2000 to '06, can look back upon with pride.
The Royals had the 14th overall pick in '04. Pitchers Justin Verlander, Homer Bailey and Jered Weaver were off the board by the time the Royals were on the clock. Baird was further constrained by his owner's tight fist. The G.M. was under orders to select a player who would accept a signing bonus commensurate with a lower draft position.
Baird used the pick to select a thickly built third baseman from Jacksonville, Florida. Butler signed for $1.4 million, less money than the eight picks after him received.
By age 21, Butler was a big leaguer. Now 24, he's best the hitter on the team by a pretty wide margin.
Butler is too limited to be considered a star player. He's immobile and tends to go several days between home runs. What he does is hit a bunch of pitches really hard. He's among the league leaders in hits and is on pace to hit 45 doubles (he hit 51 last year).
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