Butler, Brett M.
Baseball
b. June 15, 1957, Los Angeles, CA
A left-handed center fielder, the 5-foot-10, 161-pound Butler was one of the best leadoff men in baseball for more than a decade. He was with the NL's Atlanta Braves for parts of the 1981 and 1982 seasons and became a starter in 1983, when he led the league with 13 triples.
The Braves traded him to the AL's Cleveland Indians in 1984. He led that league with 14 triples in 1986. Butler went to the San Francisco Giants as a free agent in 1988 and led the NL in runs scored with 109 in his first season there and in hits with 192 in 1990.
A free agent once more in 1991, Butler joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the league with 112 runs and 108 walks that season. Butler was an outstanding defensive outfielder who went through two seasons, 1991 and 1993, without making an error. He led NL outfielders with 372 putouts and 380 total chances in 1991.
Through the 1993 season, Butler had a .289 career average with 1,958 hits, including 237 doubles, 109 triples, and 45 home runs. He had 476 stolen bases, 1,128 runs scored, and 481 RBI.