Nationals tap 33-year-old Butera as new manager, MLB’s youngest in 53 years

The Washington Nationals have found a new manager to lead their youth movement — 33-year-old Blake Butera, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

The Boston College product spent four seasons as a skipper for different teams in the Tampa Bay Rays’ minor league system. 

Butera, who turned 33 in August, is the youngest manager in the majors in more than 50 years. Frank Quilici was 33 when he took over the Minnesota Twins’ job in 1972 — the same age that Dave Bristol was when he became the Cincinnati Reds’ manager in 1966. 

Washington’s new skipper is older than every player on the Nationals’ 2025 roster, but not by much. Butera was born just seven days before designated hitter Josh Bell. 

As a minor league manager, Butera racked up a 258-144 record. He also worked as Tampa Bay’s senior director of player development for the past two years. 

Butera was a quality-control coach with the Dominican Winter League’s Leones del Escogido and served as Team Italy’s bench coach during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

“He is [a] very loyal, diligent, efficient and dedicated baseball man,” Mike Piazza, the Hall of Fame catcher who worked with Butera on Team Italy, told MLB Network. “He commands respect with his knowledge and demeanor. He will always strive to put his players in a position to succeed.” 

The former infielder was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2015 and spent two years as a minor leaguer before transitioning to a coaching and analytics career. He comes from a baseball family — his father, Barry Butera Sr., was in the Boston Red Sox organization from 1977-80. The Houston Astros drafted his brother, Barry Butera Jr., in 2009.

As a minor leaguer, Butera played under Craig Albernaz, who was named the manager of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. 

“My guy!!! Elite human, friend, husband, and teacher,” Albernaz wrote of Butera on X. “I hope the rest of the league is ready for this impact. I’m proud of you brother.”

Washington’s new manager represents the first major move for Paul Toboni, who joined the organization as president of baseball operations last month. The Nationals fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, who won the 2019 World Series together, in July amid a sixth consecutive losing season. 

The franchise has not said whether it would retain Miguel Cairo, who had a 29-43 record as interim manager, in an assistant role.

Cairo, Albernaz and former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde all interviewed for the Nationals’ vacancy, according to multiple reports. 

Team owner Mark Lerner tapped Toboni, a 35-year-old who quickly rose through the ranks of the Boston front office, to lead the rebuild. 

Ahead of hiring Butera, Toboni warned that he would cast a wide net as he searched for the Nationals’ next manager. Previous experience as a manager in the majors was not a prerequisite. 

“I think it’s one variable to consider, but it’s definitely not everything,” Toboni said at his introductory press conference this month. “There have been plenty of managers or head coaches across sports that have had success in their first time in the job. …. So it’s something to consider; by no means is it the end-all.”

Toboni and Butera take over a squad that finished at the bottom of the National League East with a 66-96 record last season. The young roster features rising stars like outfielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and pitcher MacKenzie Gore. 

Finding promising young talent and helping them unlock their potential is a top priority for the new Nationals regime. 

“One of the simplest ways [to compete] is to build a scouting and player development monster. That means integrating analytics and [research and development] really tightly,” Toboni said earlier this month. 

The Nationals have a handful of big-name prospects in the farm system.

Shortstop Eli Willits, the top pick in this year’s MLB draft, made his professional debut with Washington’s affiliates this summer.

Pitcher Travis Sykora, who appeared on MLB.com’s list of the top 100 prospects, is expected to make his major league debut in 2027 after undergoing Tommy John surgery this year. His recovery is expected to keep him sidelined for the entire 2026 season.