3 Things That Stood Out When Nationals Officially Introduced Blake Butera As Manager

There were three notable things that stood out during new Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera's official introductory press conference.

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It's been a little bit of time since Washington Nationals fans learned the next manager of the franchise was going to be a 33-year-old named Blake Butera.

The hiring was a surprising one. 35-year-old president of baseball operations Paul Toboni set out to put his stamp on the organization, and hiring Butera to be the youngest Major League Baseball manager since Frank Quilici in 1972 did exactly that.

It's clear the Nationals were ready for a different direction, though. Gone are the days of having old school baseball guys running things to the point where many inside the sport viewed this operation as archaic. Owner Mark Lerner and the other decision makers should be commended for making such an aggressive, 180-degree turn, but there's no doubt Toboni is taking a big risk by putting his eggs into Butera's basket.

There were some notable things that stood out during Butera's official introductory press conference that took place on Monday, and many of them should make this fanbase excited about what's to come in the future with him leading the clubhouse.

Here are the three most notable things that stood out.

Blake Butera Feels Ready for This Opportunity

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How can someone who is 33 years old and has never coached inside a major league clubhouse be ready for an MLB manager job? That's what a lot of people -- inside and outside the fanbase -- wanted to know. Reports circulated that Butera blew away Toboni in the interview process, and that ultimately landed him the job. But there are still question marks regarding if he can handle this role.

While the likelihood of Butera saying anything besides the fact he's ready at the presser were slim, he did expound upon that further by giving some color to the fact that he is inexperienced when it comes to this specific job.

"Are you ever going to be, 'ready for something?' I don't know. But I feel pretty prepared based off a lot of previous experiences and a variety of different backgrounds where I'm ready for this opportunity," he said.

If everyone knew when someone was ready for an opportunity, then no hiring mistakes would ever be made. Toboni is taking a major swing on Butera. But besides the fact Butera's only managerial experience has come in the minor leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays organization before he was promoted to senior director of player development, both men think he can be the skipper this franchise needs.

Paul Toboni Believes Blake Butera Is Aligned With Their Goals

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Meddling is probably the wrong adjective, but it's clear Toboni and his front office are going to be actively involved in a lot of the day-to-day operations when it comes to how the Nationals go about their business on the baseball field.

Because of that, it was notable to hear Toboni say glowing things about how they viewed Butera, not only as a person but as someone he thinks will be a great partner for what his regime is trying to accomplish in Washington.

"When we set out to find our manager, our goal was to find not only a great, ambitious baseball mind, but an even better person," Toboni said. "We wanted someone whose character and values aligned with ours, and whose experiences fit our organizational goals. ... I'm a strong believer that you win with people, and Blake's character and ability to connect with everyone across the baseball spectrum is second to none."

Blake Butera Laid Out How He Wants Nationals to Look

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Despite the fact the Nationals entered into a rebuild following their World Series championship in 2019, it's clear there wasn't an established direction the franchise took. That resulted in mediocre MLB rosters and a below average farm system that has put them behind when it comes to getting things back on track.

While Toboni will be tasked with jumpstarting that part of the process, now that multiple former and current top prospects are on the major league roster, it will be up to Butera to make sure every ounce of talent is being oozed out of his players.

He explained how he is going to go about that when he stated, "All of that begins with accountability. For myself, for my staff and for every player that wears this Nationals jersey. We're going to hold each other to a standard every single day. We're going to be committed to our process and to a daily standard of performance. That means focusing on improvement and excellence one day at a time, trusting that consistency is going to help us build something sustainable, not just for one year but for several years ahead."

Conclusion

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There were a lot of exciting things that were said during the nearly 30-minute introductory press conference. And that's to be expected. After all, Butera didn't become the youngest MLB manager in over 50 years by being underwhelming during the interview process.

However, beyond the words, there seems to be an actual plan in place across the entire organization. While everyone knows Butera is unqualified on paper, there is a belief he can handle this job. And the franchise will do what it takes to make sure that happens. In addition to that, there is alignment between the front office and manager, which should help everything run as smoothly as possible going forward.

Whether it all works out will be seen. But it's clear this new regime has their sights getting the Nationals back to the top of the baseball world and staying there for a long time.