In an offseason of outside-the-box managerial hires, the Nationals have reportedly hired the biggest wild card of all.
Washington is naming 33-year-old Blake Butera its next manager, according to a Thursday morning report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. Butera, 33, will be the youngest MLB manager since the Twins hired 33-year-old Frank Quilici in 1972.
Butera, a longtime minor league manager in the Rays' system, currently holds the title of senior director of player development for that team.
Born in Louisiana, Butera played collegiately for Boston College before Tampa Bay drafted him in the 35th round in 2015. After two professional years in the Appalachian and New York-Penn Leagues, Butera entered management.
In both 2021 and 2022, he won Manager of the Year awards at the minor league level with the Charleston RiverDogs of the Carolina League.
The Nationals fired manager Dave Martinez, the manager of their 2019 World Series team, on July 6 after eight years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nationals to Hire Blake Butera as MLB's Youngest Manager in Decades.