TTM Success - Tony Butler

Tony Butler has a little bit of historical significance in Baltimore.  He is one of the guys who was the return from Seattle in the Erik Bedard trade.  The Mariners sent: Butler, Kam Mickolio, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman and Adam Jones to Baltimore in exchange for Bedard in what turned out to be one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history.  Jones had a great career and became the face of the Orioles; Sherrill and Tillman became All Stars in their own right.  Mickolio pitched 4 seasons in the majors. Bedard only got into 15 games in each of the 2008 and 2009 seasons in Seattle, before missing 2010 entirely. What happened to Butler, though?

Butler (b. 1987) was a third round pick by the Mariners in the 2006 June Amateur Draft out of Oak Creek High School in Wisconsin.  He played in the minors from 2006 to 2011 in the Mariners, Orioles and Brewers systems, reaching single A.  He had a record of 15-25 with 335 strike outs and a 4.60 ERA.

I had the above 2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition card in my collection since I pulled it from a pack way back when it came out.  It had made its way through my boxes after all this time, until I finally sent it out TTM. He signed my card in blue Sharpie, and it looks pretty great.

I mailed to Butler on November 5 and got the card back on November 17, for a 12-day TAT.