Lawrence Butler DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler made an impact on the basepaths Wednesday, stealing two bases in a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Butler ended up going 1-for-5 in this one, but still contributed with his speed. It's been a mediocre start to the season for the popular breakout pick, who now has a .288 AVG and .784 OPS with a homer and four steals. Fantasy managers certainly expected more in terms of a power/speed combo, but it is still early and Butler is a fairly streaky hitter. He is at least contributing to AVG and steals and could go off at any time, so holding tight is likely the best option for his fantasy owners.

Athleticsoutfielder Lawrence Butler went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI, and a run scored in Sunday's 12-5 loss to the Rockies. The 6-foot-3 left-handed slugger, who signed a big off-season contract extension, got off to a slow start to begin the year, going 4-for-24 (.167) over the first seven games, but now has three consecutive multi-hit efforts during which time he is 7-for-14 (.500). The 24-year-old is now hitting .289 on the young season with four extra base hits, two RBI, six runs scored, one stolen base, and a fantastic 6:5 BB:K. It amounts to a .370 wOBA and a 142 wRC+ for the former sixth-round draft pick, who should continue to be a strong fantasy producer hitting atop the A's lineup.

The Athletics and their dynamic young outfielder Lawrence Butler have agreed to a seven-year, $65.5 million contract extension. In 2024, the former sixth-round draft pick slashed .262/.317/.490 with 22 home runs and 18 stolen bases in just 125 games (451 PA). The 24-year-old is a power-speed threat, batting atop the A's lineup in front of home run hitters Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers, so fantasy managers should expect solid production across the board from the youngster. ATC projections, which are conservative by nature, see the left-handed hitter with a .250-24-69-77-19 line in 2025, and he's got an NFBC ADP of 68, which is right around where RotoBaller has him ranked at 64 overall.