Butler grateful for his Athletics journey after earning extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Star outfielder Lawrence Butler couldn’t help but express gratitude about his turbulent journey with the Athletics organization when speaking on Monday at the press conference for his massive seven-year contract extension, which the franchise made official hours prior.
“It’s amazing,” Butler told reporters at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. “I played with a lot of these players on my team since I was in Low-A. For a lot of us to come through the system together and make it to the big leagues – and have success in the big leagues – is huge. It’s huge for us, it’s huge for the organization. It’s huge for everybody.
“It kind of shows that the A’s don’t just draft players and put them on the shelf. We love to develop players. We try to get everybody better every day. Every year, it doesn’t matter the [draft] round, everybody has a helping hand in everybody’s career.”
Butler sure has developed since the Green and Gold selected him at the age of 17 with the No. 173 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
In fact, Butler played in 589 games – over stints in rookie ball and with Short-Season A Vermont, High-A Lansing, Low-A Stockton, Double-A Midland, Triple-A Las Vegas and the big-league Athletics – leading up to the afternoon acknowledgment of his life-changing contract.
“We’ve got a number of these press conferences this offseason, and each one is kind of unique in its own way; this one is no different. This one was unique because of Law,” Athletics manager David Forst told reporters. “His A’s story represents the absolute best of this organization and the best of what we’re looking for in players.
“This is not a former first-round pick sitting here; this is a sixth-round pick, a scouting triumph by Jemel Spearman, an area scout who’s been here for 13 years. [Butler] is a guy who touched every level of our organization; it’s an absolute player-success story. … He powered himself through every level of our system.”
Butler’s numbers speak for themselves.
He slashed .291/.330/.565 with 89 hits, 50 RBI and 20 home runs over the Athletics’ final 84 games of the 2024 MLB season and helped his team finish a relatively strong 35-35 after it disappointingly started 34-58. That’s pretty good.
Butler, though, has yet to put up similar figures for an entire MLB season. However, the 24-year-old believes both he and the Athletics have no limits on what they’re capable of. And the franchise’s commitment to Butler proves it has the utmost faith in him to continue shining.
“There is no ceiling, to be honest,” Butler said. “I feel like if I put the work in daily, which I’ve been doing, [and] continue to work hard, grind and continue to come to the field every day and put in the work, the sky is the limit. There is no ceiling for any player on this roster … because we’re all working for the same goal, which is to win World Series and win a lot of games.
Butler truly feels at home with the Athletics. He is allowed to be himself, wearing bandanas under his headgear and walking up to songs such as Sexyy Red’s “SkeeYee,” all while growing as a fan favorite across baseball. With the extension agreement, the Athletics secured a rising star who is as fun of a personality as he is a player.
Furthermore, from his minor-league stints, pride in Oakland, excitement for West Sacramento and a commitment to what will be a future in Las Vegas, Butler is all about the Athletics.
And that type of relationship exactly is what the franchise yearns for with every roster move.
“It was really just the energy,” Butler said about what made him comfortable with the Green and Gold. “As soon as I walked into Fitch Park from Day 1, they were all welcoming; the clubbies welcomed me with open arms; anything I needed, they gave it to me. All the coaches were ready to help, always looking to get me better. Any questions I had, they were always open to answering. I feel like that’s how the A’s organization works – family and togetherness.”
Part of what Butler particularly loves about the Athletics was, indeed, his time in Oakland. Playing at the Coliseum and in front of the East Bay faithful might be a distant memory, but for Butler, that era helped catapult his career, and he’ll always cherish it.
Butler made sure to credit the city of Oakland for being part of his thriving MLB journey.
“I would say thank you,” Butler said. “That was my first big-league team, the Oakland Athletics. My first big-league home game was in the Coliseum. I got to play the last game ever in the Coliseum. Oakland, it means a lot to me, because that is who I got drafted by. I know the fans always stuck by me, they always were behind me; it didn’t matter if I was in low-A or the big leagues, they were still rooting for me … And you know, I just got to say thank you.”
Monday was quite an amazing day for Butler, his loved ones and fellow members of the Athletics organization. And for all parties, the best part is it marks the beginning of a new era – one that is competitive, electric and proof that hard work pays off.
Butler can only hope that the youth can use his story for motivation.
“Anything’s possible,” Butler said when asked if he had a message for the kids. “If you really believe in your dream and really work hard to whatever you want to achieve, you can achieve it. I feel like I’m just a great example of, ‘Work hard, put your head down, don’t listen to outside noise, just continue to grind no matter what [people] say. …
“I just want them to know that anything you put your mind to, you can really achieve.”
