Paul Toboni Explains Why He Hired Blake Butera to be Nationals New Manager

This is why Blake Butera was hired by the Washington Nationals.

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The Washington Nationals will have a 35-year-old president of baseball operations and a 33-year-old manager leading this franchise.

That is a complete 180-degree turn compared to what they had in place previously when the organization was largely seen as archaic. Owner Mark Lerner and the other decision makers involved in hiring Paul Toboni to lead the front office should be commended for taking a big swing on the up-and-coming executive, but when it comes to the team's skipper, that was all Toboni's doing.

Many were shocked that Blake Butera was hired to be the Nationals' manager. Not only did his age of 33 stand out, but he has never been part of a coaching staff in a major league dugout and has never managed or played past the Single-A level.

There's no doubt this is a huge risk, but it's one Toboni believes is going to pay off for Washington. That was evident when he gave some insight into why he decided to hire Butera.

Paul Toboni Was Blown Away During Interview Process

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Mark Zuckerman of MASN reported the statements made by Toboni about Butera's hiring. The insider said that during Toboni's tenure with the Boston Red Sox, Butera's name came up numerous times and Toboni knew he wanted to meet with Butera when it came to the open Nationals managerial job.

"I'm really fortunate that we did reach out to interview him, because he blew me away throughout the process," Toboni stated.

There's been tons of examples across sports where young candidates come in and blow their interviewers away, and it seems like that was the case here. Still, the fact Butera is 33 and became one of the youngest managers hired in MLB history has not gone under the radar by anyone locally or nationally.

But just because someone is young, that doesn't mean they aren't capable or the most qualified person for the job. And that's what Toboni believes is the case in this situation, as Washington has fully embraced a youth movement across the board in their baseball operations team.

"I think first and foremost, with every new manager, you just don't know until they're given the opportunity how they're going to respond to the challenge, right?" Toboni added. "Having said that, I feel actually very good about betting on Blake in this position, and I think it's so much that just circles back to the person he is and the leader that he is."

How Blake Butera's Player Development Background Stood Out

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The position Butera held before Washington hired him to be their manager was the senior director of player development for the Tampa Bay Rays. He moved into that role following his successful stint as a skipper for the Rays' minor league affiliate.

Normally, someone like Butera who moved into that type of front office role would climb up the ladder and chase becoming a general manager or president of baseball operations. But Toboni believes the experience Butera gained in that player development role will be a huge plus for the Nationals.

"I think experience can take shape in a number of different ways," Toboni said. "So, Blake has great perspective in what he's done in player development. I think he'll help drive a lot of that at the major league level."

Again, it's not a given that any of this will work for Washington. But it's a huge swing this franchise hasn't made in a long time. And because of that, this new era of Nationals baseball is a lot more exciting than it otherwise would have been.