The Charleston (West Virigina) Dirty Birds of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) yesterday have announced that they have signed five-year MLB veteran right-hander Eddie Butler for the upcoming 2023 season, the team Tweeted.
After five seasons in Major League Baseball, Butler, 31, joined the Atlantic League with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in 2022, posting a 4.94 ERA. The Atlantic League named him the Pitcher of the Month in July with a 5-0 record, in six starts while tossing one complete game. He pitched 38.2 innings and struck out 24 hitters while walking only 10.
“It is not every day you get to add not only a five-year Major-League veteran but also a legitimate number one starter to your ball club,” Dirty Birds manager Billy Horn said on dirtybirdsbaseball.com. “Not only does he bring a world of experience at the major league level, but also will be able to help younger pitchers develop and lead by example. We are thrilled to have him anchoring the staff for the Dirty Birds in 2023.”
Butler made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2014 and was in the Rockies’ starting rotation in 2015. That year, he started 16 contests and posted a 5.90 ERA. The Rockies traded Butler to the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and he went 4-3 with a 3.95 ERA.
The Rockies selected Butler in the first round out of Radford University in the 2012 MLB Draft after the Texas Rangers picked him in the 35th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of high school.
— Jerry Del Priore
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 