As shortstop for the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter won five Gold Glove Awards. But some of the credit should go to Brian Butterfield.
Who’s that you ask? MLB Network’s Jon Heyman explains:
Angels let go 3B coach Brian Butterfield. Butterfield, who previously coached for the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Cubs, was an elite infield coach who helped Derek Jeter learn to play shortstop after starting out error-prone in minors.
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Butterfield’s MLB journey began as a minor leaguer in the Yankees farm system, reaching as high as Triple-A Columbus in 1982. The right-handed hitting Butterfield played second base, shortstop and third base.
After his playing days, Butterfield stayed in the Yankees organization as a roving infield instructor. He eventually worked his way up to the big leagues, and served as first base coach for Buck Showalter in 1994 and 1995.
Butterfield later joined the Diamondbacks (1998-2000), reuniting with Showalter in Arizona.
Butterfield would spend a decade with the Toronto Blue Jays (2002-12), followed by a five-year run with the Boston Red Sox (2013-17), which earned him his first and only World Series ring (2013). Butterfield joined the Chicago Cubs in 2018 and followed manager Joe Maddon to the Los Angeles Angeles in 2020.
As for what’s next, it’s entirely possible Butterfield heads to the Yankees South, aka the Miami Marlins. Aside from Jeter as the CEO, the Marlins boast former Yankees executive Kim Ng as general manager and Don Mattingly as manager. And for what it’s worth, Mattingly’s final two seasons as a player with the Yankees were Butterfield’s first two years as a coach in the Bronx.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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