Buttrey explains decision to leave baseball

ANAHEIM -- A day after the Angels announced that reliever Ty Buttrey had been placed on the restricted list, Buttrey posted a lengthy statement on Instagram on Saturday explaining his decision to leave baseball. Buttrey informed the club of his decision last week and explained that baseball isn’t his true passion and he was doing it for the wrong reasons, as a way to prove his doubters wrong.

"I couldn't be any more excited to finally become just Ty," Buttrey wrote. "I love my family, my close teammates, friends and especially Halo Nation. I'm tired of not being there for my loved ones, and I'm tired of pretending and lying to the best fan base in the world. Life is super simple. Find your true passion, find people you love and don't give a damn what any person outside those lines thinks."

Buttrey was expected to be one of the club’s primary relievers this season. Angels manager Joe Maddon explained there was a chance Buttrey would’ve made the Opening Day roster but that he came to them at the end of Spring Training and said he wanted to leave baseball. Buttrey was placed on the restricted list as a result and will remain there this season.

“I read it, and I can hear his voice as I'm reading it,” Maddon said of Buttrey’s statement. “Very thoughtful young man. I understood precisely what he's talking about. If the fun is diminished, don't do it, and I totally agree with that with anything we do. And that's why, to me, it's so important as a manager here to make sure that when our guys walk through the door they feel that joy. I gotta respect what he said. I understand it. I get it. I can replay the tape on myself personally, and I had personal experiences that very much replicate that.”

Buttrey posted a 5.81 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings in the shortened 2020 season -- though he was one of the club's primary relievers from 2018-19, posting a combined 3.86 ERA in 88 2/3 innings. He was particularly solid in the first half of '19, posting a 2.57 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 42 innings before the All-Star break.

Maddon said he hasn’t reached out to Buttrey yet, but he plans to and wants to keep in contact with Buttrey going forward.

"I wish him the best, and I'm going to stay in contact with him," Maddon said. "That's my plan. I'm looking forward to staying in touch with him and being of help in any way I can."