To be a member of the Boston Red Sox is a fantasy that all New England baseball fans have had at one point or another in their lives. While most only get the chance to act this out in their backyards or from the confines of their own dreams, new Red Sox third base coach and University of Maine alumnus Brian Butterfield will get to live that dream from his box at Fenway Park this season.
After becoming a fixture in the Toronto Blue Jays organization over the last 11 seasons, Butterfield has followed new Sox manager John Farrell from Toronto and now has the chance to return home to New England, to help restore the faith of Red Sox Nation.
“It has been a fantastic experience so far,” Butterfield said. “The level of comfort and familiarity I have with this coaching staff, along with the hard work and determination of these players, has made the transition very easy for me.”
Butterfield’s history with baseball began when he was young, following his father — former UMaine head baseball coach Jack Butterfield — to campus for practices throughout the year. After starring at Bangor High School in both baseball and basketball, Butterfield brought his talents to UMaine in 1976.
“I was familiar with the campus and being around the college athletes, which made it a perfect situation,” Butterfield said. “I was just consumed in my whole situation up there. I loved playing baseball for Coach Winkin, and doing it in Orono was an ideal scenario for me.”
During Butterfield’s lone season with the Black Bears, the team finished fourth in the country and made it to the College World Series in Omaha. The team’s success and their camaraderie were irreplaceable, but Butterfield had bigger plans that compelled him to walk away.
“I always had a dream about playing professional baseball, so I thought it might be in my best interest to head south to play ball,” Butterfield said.
The decision to leave home was not an easy one for the Bangor native, but Butterfield knew that playing baseball year-round was a necessity if he was going to reach his goal of playing in the majors.
“I thought about it during the southern trip, and when we came home to play our opener in 28 degree weather,” Butterfield said. “I just remember seeing all those guys down there playing that had obviously been playing year round, and I knew that if I wanted to be drafted and get to the pros, then I was going to have to put myself in a better position to do so.”
Butterfield played a year at Valencia Community College after he left UMaine but before he moved on to Florida Southern College. Florida Southern would win the 1978 NCAA Division II national championship with Butterfield as their starting second baseman.
Though he went undrafted after his senior season, Butterfield was signed by the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent. After 397 games between the Yankees and San Diego Padres farm system, Butterfield decided to end his career as a player to begin his career as a coach.
“I told myself when I was in pro ball that somebody was going to have to release me twice before I thought about doing something else,” Butterfield said. “That time finally came, and I decided that if I wasn’t good enough to play then I would want to stay in baseball and coach.”
With his father’s successful career in coaching and player development at the collegiate and major league levels, it seemed fitting that Butterfield would follow in his footsteps. Butterfield learned from great baseball minds, like former teammate and current Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, but he explained that a lot of who he is as a coach and the drills he utilizes today come directly from his father.
“I know it’s kind of a skewed view point, but Dad was the best leader, baseball guy and father that a man could be,” Butterfield said. “We are all products of our environment, and I was blessed to live and learn under his roof.”
Butterfield started his coaching career in 1983 with the New York Yankees as a roving infield instructor. After taking on managerial jobs throughout the Yankees farm system, Butterfield finally found his way to the major leagues as the Yankees first base coach in 1994. Since then, Butterfield has served as the third base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Blue Jays while also doing a two-year stint as bench coach for Toronto from 2008-2010.
Being a coach isn’t quite the same as being a player, but Butterfield takes his job as third base coach just as seriously as any player on the field would. Fans understand the basics of sending and holding a runner, but Butterfield explained there is far more to coaching third base that fans usually overlook.
“There are a lot of decisions that are made before the ball hits the glove,” Butterfield said. “A ball may roll up a fielders arm after a coach holds a runner and the crowd boos. What fans don’t understand is that the decision has to be made early, and you have to stick with it because of the mistakes that come with starting and stopping a runner.
“There’s a lot that escapes the normal fan, as opposed to the guys on the field that understand we want to run it and put pressure on,” Butterfield added.
Though the position has become natural for Butterfield, many Red Sox third base coaches before him have faced scrutiny for one thing or another by the fans and media. Butterfield explained the Boston fans and media provide no type of pressure that he does not already put on himself.
“I’m very demanding of myself and beat myself up all the time, so I’m my own worst enemy,” Butterfield said. “Knowing that there are critics out there is all part of the challenge, but there isn’t any added pressure because it’s something I love doing so much.”
The passion Butterfield holds for the position is fueled by the feeling of competition that being on the field provides.
“I love the challenge of getting sweaty palms through the course of the game and getting to make those decisions when the game is on the line,” Butterfield said.
The position and its demands remain the same, but the team and circumstances change greatly for Butterfield and his fellow coaches in their first season with Boston. After a couple of unfulfilling seasons, the Red Sox are positioning themselves to re-build while also continuing to try and compete in a revived American League East division. Butterfield has been impressed by what he has seen out of his new ball club thus far, citing players’ character as one of the team’s biggest strengths.
“You’re going to go through periods during the season where we struggle, but I think we have the right type of players and leaders to weather the storm,” Butterfield said. “There’s going to be some down times, but high character clubs find a way to make it through somehow. I’m looking forward to that challenge when we get into the games that count.”
One of the high character leaders on the team is second baseman Dustin Pedroia. The perennial All-Star has been a force on the field and in the clubhouse for the Red Sox, and it has made an impression on Butterfield.
“I’ve always looked at him from the other side and said, ‘My goodness, that’s the way you play the game and compete,” Butterfield said of Pedroia. “I’ve always considered him the benchmark in this league.”
After watching for so many years and now getting the chance to work with Pedroia, Butterfield now feels as though he has “died and gone to heaven.”
“To come here and get to see him, hear him and be able to go shoulder to shoulder and talk situations with him, it has been more than I ever could have expected,” Butterfield said.
In addition to Pedroia, Butterfield mentioned the likes of new shortstop Stephen Drew and veteran David Ortiz as others who have stood out to him thus far. With those players and a talented roster looking to bring the Red Sox back to relevance, Butterfield has high expectations for the season but acknowledged a lot has to happen to be successful.
“You obviously need to stay healthy, and you need guys to have good years,” Butterfield said. “I think there are a bunch of guys who have proven track records that are looking to bounce back this year, and I fully trust in those track records.”
The Red Sox will put their retooled roster to the test in the season opener on Monday, April 1 against the rival Yankees in New York. But Butterfield will not have to wait long to don his home whites: he Sox will have their Fenway opener the following Monday, April 8 against the Orioles.