FanGraphs Audio: Blake Butera on Managing in the Rays System

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January 28, 2022

Episode 959

On this episode of FanGraphs Audio, David Laurila welcomes Blake Butera, the manager of the Charleston RiverDogs, Low-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Butera, who is just 29 years old, shares his journey from playing at Boston College to being drafted by the Rays to becoming a key part of their player development system. We get stories about players such as Brendan McKay, Tommy Pham, Curtis Mead, Colby White, Cole Wilcox, Taj Bradley (a guest on episode 937), and more. Butera also offers some insights into what makes the Rays system so special and how the team is capable of consistently producing major-league talent.

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Dylan assists in producingFanGraphs Audio, Effectively Wild, and the FanGraphs Live Twitch channel. He also enjoys the Waxahachie Swap (RIP), the Air Bud principle, and the Oxford comma. You can Tweet him about any of those things @dhhiggins.

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