Mike Butcher
Butcher in 2011.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 23
Pitcher / Coach
Born: (1965-05-10) May 10, 1965 (age 47) Davenport, Iowa
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 6, 1992 for the California Angels
Last MLB appearance
September 5, 1995 for the California Angels
Career statistics
Win–loss record	11–4
Earned run average	4.47
Strikeouts	96
Teams
California Angels (1992–1995)

Michael Dana Butcher (born May 10, 1965 in Davenport, Iowa) is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He pitched for the California Angels from 1992 to 1995.

Butcher graduated from United Township High School in East Moline, Illinois in 1983.^[1] He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 4th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.^[2] He signed with the Kansas City Royals after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 1986 June Secondary draft.^[2] Butcher was released by the Royals in 1988 and then signed as a free agent with the California Angels, with whom he made his Major League debut in 1992. Butcher played his final Major League game in 1995, although he pitched in the Seattle Mariners', Cleveland Indians' and Angels' organizations until 1998.^[2]

He is currently the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, having served in that position since November 2006.^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Official bio
• Retrosheet
• Mike Butcher (Editor TechCrunch) about TechCrunch & TechHub: Interview with 99FACES.tv

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Joe Blanton
Blanton with the Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies – No. 56
Starting pitcher
Born: (1980-12-11) December 11, 1980 (age 31) Nashville, Tennessee
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 21, 2004 for the Oakland Athletics
Career statistics (through May 24, 2012)
Win-loss record	77–66
Earned run average	4.33
Strikeouts	856
Teams
Oakland Athletics (2004–2008) Philadelphia Phillies (2008–present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2008)

Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980, in Nashville, Tennessee) is a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He is nicknamed "Hamburger Joe".^{[citation needed]}

College career[link]

He graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School (Kentucky) in 1999. He pitched three seasons for the University of Kentucky. He posted a 13–12 record from 2000 to 2002, and led the Southeastern Conference with 133 strikeouts in his final season, finishing with a 4.59 ERA.^[1]

Minor league career[link]

2002–2003[link]

Blanton was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the New York Yankees' first round pick (24th overall) in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft,^[2] acquired as compensation for the loss of free agent Jason Giambi.^[3] In 2003, while pitching for the Kane County Cougars and the Midland RockHounds,^[4] he ranked second in all of minor league baseball with a combined 174 strikeouts.

2004[link]

The next season, Blanton helped the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats win the Pacific Coast League with an 11–8 record and a 4.19 ERA. He struck out 143 batters in 176 innings, tossing one complete game in 26 starts. At the end of the Triple-A season, he was called up to the Athletics big league roster on September 18, 2004.^[4]

Major league career[link]

Oakland Athletics[link]

2004[link]

Blanton made his debut in 2004, making three appearances and pitching eight innings. He posted a 5.63 ERA, but did not get a decision in any of his games.

Blanton with the Athletics

2005[link]

In 2005, Blanton joined a rotation that had lost pitchers Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson to trades.^[5] Blanton was third on the team in innings pitched, but still exceeded 200 innings in his first full season.^[6] He posted 12–12 with a 3.53 ERA in 33 starts, and his 33 starts set an Oakland rookie record for most games started which had broken the previous mark of 32 set by Matt Keough in 1978. His ERA was best among all rookies with 100 or more innings pitched.^[7] He also tied the Oakland rookie record for most wins in a season with 12.^[7] His first career complete game came as a 1–0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 24, 2005;^[8] he was the only rookie to post two complete games in 2005.^[7] Blanton's high loss total was attributed to poor run support, as the A's only posted six runs total in all twelve of his losses combined, while posting 62 runs in his 12 wins.^[7] Blanton was also named the American League Rookie of the Month for June, as he tied with teammate Dan Haren for the AL lead in wins and finished third in ERA in June.^[7]

2006[link]

In 2006, Blanton's ERA rose over a full point to 4.82 and gave up the fifth highest number of hits in the American League with 241,^[9] resulting in a .309 batting average against. However, he had four more wins than the previous year, posting a 16–12 record, striking out 107 batters and walking 58.^[10] He pitched his first career complete game shutout against the Kansas City Royals on May 31.^[9] Blanton did not pitch in the ALDS for the Athletics, but was named to the roster for the ALCS, where he pitched two innings in one appearance, allowing no hits or runs.^[11]

2007[link]

In 2007, Blanton, Haren, and Rich Harden briefly formed the A's second "Big Three" for the season, though Harden's season was cut short by injuries. Meanwhile, Blanton went on to post a 14–10 record in 230 innings pitched. He struck out 140 batters, walked 40, and gave up 101 earned runs, resulting in a 3.95 ERA for the year.^[12] Though Blanton's road and home records were the same (7–5), his home ERA was 2.69 compared with 5.11 on the road.^[13] He also pitched three complete games in 2007, but his first one of the season was his third career complete-game loss, on April 25.^[13] Blanton made his 100th career appearance at the end of the season, posting a 7–3 win against the Texas Rangers on September 15.^[13] At the end of the 2007 season, the A's broke up their "Big Three" yet again by trading Haren to the Diamondbacks^[14]

2008[link]

The new "Big Three" breakup continued when Rich Harden was traded to the Cubs in 2008.^[15] The A's completed their dealing by trading Blanton, who had posted a 5–12 record and a 4.96 ERA to the Philadelphia Phillies for second baseman Adrian Cardenas, pitcher Josh Outman, and outfielder Matthew Spencer.^[16] He had a 4–0 record with an ERA of 4.20 for the Phillies.^[17]

Philadelphia Phillies[link]

Blanton with the Phillies in 2009

In Blanton's first start for the Phillies, he pitched six innings and allowed five runs; however, he did not factor in the decision as the Phillies scored six runs off the Mets' bullpen in the ninth inning to win.^[18] On August 2, Blanton recorded his first win as a Phillie against the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 2–1 in his third Phillies start. For the season, 51% of his strikeouts were "looking", the highest percentage in the majors.^[19]

In Game 4 of the 2008 World Series, Blanton hit his first major league home run to become the 13th pitcher overall and first since Ken Holtzman in 1974 to hit a home run in a World Series game. He was also credited with the win in the Phillies' Game 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

On January 21, 2010, the Phillies announced Joe Blanton agreed to a 3-year extension worth $24 million.^[20] Because of the talent of the other members of the Phillies pitching rotation, he earned the nickname "Average Joe" Blanton.

Joe Blanton pitched the first complete game shut out of 2012 for the Phillies on May 3, 2012 at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves. Blanton allowed only three hits.

Scouting[link]

Blanton throws a low-90's fastball, along with a 12–6 curveball, a slider, and a straight changeup.^[21] His curveball is his best secondary pitch, drawing comparisons to former teammate Barry Zito's 12–6 curve.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Blanton

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)