How Butler is energizing the Athletics' rebuild

MESA, Ariz. -- One year ago, Lawrence Butler made a splash at his first big league Spring Training with a calm yet boldly self-assured demeanor, backed by a scorching-hot bat.

That confidence was apparent as Butler dubbed the group of top prospects who were in camp at the time the "New Oakland," proclaiming that the A's next wave of young talent would be well worth the price of admission.

Flash forward to this spring and Butler is again swinging a hot bat -- but this time, he's likely to take that momentum into his first full season in the big leagues.

It's difficult to put too much stock into spring statistics, good or bad, since many players use preseason games to get their timing back at the plate or otherwise make adjustments to their game. But Butler -- who has options remaining and is not guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster, though it would be surprising if he did not make it -- sees no reason not to make the most of every plate appearance.

"You never want to start cold just for the confidence's sake," Butler said before going 2-for-2 with a walk and scoring two runs in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Royals at Hohokam Stadium. "You always want to come into a season feeling good, with a good mindset. My mindset is get hot as soon as possible and try to ride it out as long as possible."

Through 11 spring games, Butler has slashed .423/.484/.538 with three doubles. He has more walks (four) than strikeouts (three), a promising sign given his lopsided 35 punchouts against only four free passes in the Majors in 2023.

Butler continues to make strides in the outfield, too, and has shown an ability to adjust on the fly as he's logged innings in right and center this spring.

"The growth in Lawrence has been great," manager Mark Kotsay said. "He's learning the game. … It's just continuing to improve, continuing to go out there and, like he's said, play and have fun."

After a particularly busy -- and rewarding -- offseason, the 23-year-old from Atlanta is locked in and ready to build on a year that saw him go from Double-A Midland to Oakland.

Butler got the call to The Show last Aug. 11 and finished the season with the A's, hitting .211 with four homers, four doubles and 10 RBIs in a limited sample size of 42 games. He joined some notable second-half reinforcements in catcher Tyler Soderstrom and second baseman Zack Gelof as the "New Oakland" got its first taste of big league action.

All three figure to break camp with the A's for the first time this year.

"They've got a ton of talent, they're willing to learn, they're willing to grow," outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker said. "It's been exciting to watch them last year and throughout this camp, and it's going to be exciting to continue to watch them throughout the season [as they] continue to grow, continue to improve and just get to the point where they're the players that they want to be."

The youth moment doesn't end there, though.

Minor League standouts like Darell Hernaiz, MLB Pipeline's No. 5 A's prospect, and others with Major League experience who still have rookie status -- such as Mason Miller (No. 2), Joe Boyle (No. 10) and Joey Estes (No. 13) -- will get the chance to help the A's turn the page on consecutive 100-plus-loss seasons.

"The 'New Oakland' has arrived, but there are more talented players in the Minor Leagues that are coming up," Butler said. "Our farm development does a great job getting those players ready for the next level. It started with us, but I mean, it's just going to keep going throughout the whole org. We're gonna see a huge turnaround this year."

There's almost nowhere to go but up for the A's, who finished at 50-112 in 2023. And Butler has made it clear that whatever is in store for '24, he expects to win much more often.

If it catches the rest of the Majors by surprise, then so be it.

"I kind of like being the underdog in situations like this. People kind of underestimate us," Butler said. "It's just going to make it better when we beat 'em."