Former Rockies pitcher loses his mind on the mound
Jun 6, 2019, 2:03 PM | Updated: Jun 7, 2019, 6:45 am
Once upon a time, Eddie Butler was a promising arm in the Rockies farm system. The team selected him the first round of the 2012 draft and high hopes for the right-hander out of Radford University.
But after some dismal years with the big club, Colorado finally cut bait on the prospect. Butler went 6-16 with a 6.50 ERA across three seasons with the Rockies, enough of a sample size for the team to ship him off to Chicago in February 2017.
Butler spent a season-plus with the Cubs, going 5-4 in the process, before being dealt to the Rangers in a trade that sent Cole Hamels to the Windy City. His time in Texas was less than impressive, as Butler went 1-2 with a 6.47 ERA in the second half of last season.
As a result, 2018 was the end of this once-promising prospect’s time in Major League Baseball, at least for the time being. During the offseason, Butler signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization.
So far, it’s not going so well. On the season, Butler is 3-6 with a 4.27 ERA.
Away from home, still scuffling on the mound, the frustration finally boiled over. Last night, Butler lost it after walking a hitter.
Extremely immature and disrespectful behavior by NC Dinos RHP Eddie Butler in tonight's game. Makes you wonder if he would do such a thing on a #MLB mound. #KBO pic.twitter.com/xUgL27Rzg0
— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) June 6, 2019
What’s odd, other than the obvious overreaction that would be frowned upon in a Little League game, was that Butler was pitching well at the time. Trailing just 1-0 in the fifth inning, Butler was having one of his better outings of the season.
Of course, that didn’t last. He didn’t get yanked from the game, at least not after the tantrum. Instead, Butler pitched into the seventh, gave up four runs and ultimately took the loss in a 6-0 game.
Maybe he’s homesick? Maybe he’s frustrated with the lack of offensive support in his starts?
Who knows? But whatever the reason, the career of former Rockies pitcher Eddie Butler has hit a new low.
