New Jersey Jackals Report: Jacob Butler's Big Attainable Dreams

Perhaps it's because the 27-year old slugger has already had a taste of life in the big leagues and is hungering for a return. A star outfielder for the New Jersey Jackals, Jacob Butler said his recent four-year stint in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system — and subsequent release — is what fuels the Washington state native.   

"I really want to get back," he said prior to a recent game against the first-place Quebec team. "I got to play in some big leagues spring training games and got a taste of that — and it was pretty awesome — so, yeah, I really want to get back to the big leagues."   

However grandiose his dreams are, the unselfish Butler said his first goal isn't getting another Major League Baseball shot but to help his current team get out of the subterranean levels of the Canadian-American League standings. Currently his Jackals [11-11 in its second half standings, 30-38 overall] are in next-to-last, with the Sussex Skyhawks [6-15] bringing up the rear.  

"The biggest thing is, while I'm here, is to help the team win," he said. "But I think everybody's ultimate goal here is to make it to affiliated baseball and then to the big leagues. Hopefully this is something I can use to get there."    

Butler's grand scheme is to use the Can-Am League as a springboard to something bigger. A star athlete out of tiny Yelm, Washington, Butler went to college in Reno, Nevada where the Blue Jays nabbed him in the eighth round of the 2005 draft. He made his way up to the AA level — just two stops away from a major upgrade. Even though he loves his current team and enjoys life as a professional ball player, Butler said he doesn't want to get too comfortable here. And thanks to ex-teammates getting signed recently to MLB contracts, he knows there's a way to get there through here.       

"It's definitely encouraging to see guys get picked up from here," he beamed. "So when you see guys getting called back up it's a boost."  

Butler added that besides the dangling carrot of fellow Jackals getting signed, another source of inspiration is actually still on the roster.    

"He's knows a lot more than most people I've been around," Butler says of his teammate, veteran professional ball player Abraham Nunez.   

The 34-year old Nunez has spent parts of 12 seasons with four different MLB teams, most recently the New York Mets in 2008. Although owning a career .242 MLB average, Butler said Nunez is one of the best baseball minds he's known and someone who garners respect with his sage advice.    

"He says just make sure to maximize what you do to the point where you're the master at what you do," Butler said of what he's learned from Nunez. "And to work on your weaknesses to the point where, at worst, it's average."      

One of Butler's strengths is in fact his strength. He's currently leading the Jackals in homers [14], RBI [47], and total bases [112]. He's also sporting a .290 batting average, and is second on the team in on-base percentage [.383] and slugging [.533]. He feels numbers like those gets him closer each season to his MLB dreams.        

"My biggest thing is home runs and RBIs. It's basically what I've been doing these last few years — driving in runs — and what I offer most to a team," said the right-handed power hitter. "My strength is hitting to all parts of the park with power, especially right-center."     

Like any ball player, however, Butler said he knows he needs to work on certain aspects and will do whatever it takes to turn flaws into at least passable grades for the pro scouts.          

"You need to be an all-around player because if you can't play defense or run the bases well, they'll find someone else who can," he said adding that as hard as he works, it's still out of his hands. "I'd like to think so [that he's doing enough] but it's hard to say. I only try to focus on the things that I can control. Hopefully that's enough."       

Despite his MLB fate not necessarily being in his hands, Butler said he's still confident that someone will eventually take another flier on him. Such confidence could be born out of the fact that he has a friend on the inside that may be able to help.    

"I had an agent when I first got into independent ball but I don't have one anymore," he said. "But Ron Matthews is someone I've gone to clinics with back home and is a special scout with the Tampa Bay Rays. Hopefully we'll be able to work something out at the end [of the Jackals season on September 6] like tryouts and workouts with affiliated teams."   

It also helps Butler that his natural power is just that — natural. He said since MLB has taken such a hard stance against steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, it gives the clean players a more level playing field and allows fringe guys to get an honest shot again.    

"With the game changing and with steroids getting out of the game, there aren't as many guys hitting home runs, so now [natural sluggers] are becoming more of a premium," he said. "A few years ago you'd see second basemen hitting 20 home runs. Now we're back to where 20-30 home runs in the big leagues is considered a good year."        

His dream is still within reach but even if it's never obtained, Butler said at the end of the day, he's still doing something he extremely loves — and that's something many people can't say.       

"It's great, though," Butler said with a smile. "I'd like to do this as long as I can. Hopefully I can get back to the big leagues but, if not, I'll still enjoy playing baseball everyday and getting paid to do it. It's just a lot of fun."