Nationals Skipper Blake Butera Benched Jorbit Vivas Mid-Game, Why That Was Important
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When Blake Butera was hired as the manager of the Washington Nationals, something that he preached when it came to his leadership was accountability.
The first-year skipper was tasked with trying to install his ideal culture in a clubhouse that is the youngest in Major League Baseball. For a while, it seemed like everyone was bought in. But during the team's slide in August, some bad habits started popping up again. And it was on the shoulders of the 34-year-old Butera to get things fixed.
He publicly called out his team's effort following a game against the Colorado Rockies. That worked, as the Nationals rebounded to win the finale of that series. Things seemed to carry over into their set against the Miami Marlins. But then, another late-game collapse on Sunday that was caused by some self-inflicted wounds resulted in blown save No. 35.
Jorbit Vivas was at the center of that implosion. And on Monday, when he didn't run out a pop up in the bottom of the fourth inning, Butera decided it was time for him to make a statement by yanking Vivas out of the contest.
Blake Butera Makes Important Decision by Holding Vivas Accountable
"At the end of the day, that's not our standard, and he understands," Butera said after the game. "And if I don't take him out of the game there, and the next guy does the same thing, I can't take the next guy out of the game. That's just how we need to play the game."
Under Butera's leadership, he and his coaching staff go over mistakes that were made in a group setting so players can learn things together. He has made it clear that effort is something that can be controlled, and he has not shied away from being critical when the effort is low or when players aren't mentally locked in.
However, this was a clear moment where Butera decided to draw a line in the sand about what he deems to be acceptable and what he doesn't. He decided that Vivas no longer deserved a spot on the field based on what he had done on Sunday and Monday, so he didn't hesitate to pull him.
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), that is something that Nationals players wanted, as "several players" over the winter said that accountability needed to be implemented and enforced.
For a young manager who is one of the youngest in recent history and is still learning on the job after having never coached above the Single-A level, everything he does this year is about laying the foundation for how things are going to operate under his leadership. The push and pull between a skipper and his players never stops, and that only gets more complicated within an inexperienced clubhouse that is not playing meaningful baseball in the final stages of the season once again.
It would be easier for Butera to coast to the finish line. He'd probably be more well-liked that way. But that's not going to get this franchise to the next stage as they try to get out of their rebuilding period.
Butera promised accountability, and he delivered upon that in a public way by benching Vivas.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai