As Ty Buttrey pursues MLB comeback with Astros, baseball 'finally feels right'
Houston Astros pitcher Ty Buttrey during spring training workouts at the Astros spring training complex at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 in West Palm Beach .WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Ty Buttrey walked away when baseball became a burden, an unhealthy albatross instead of his utmost priority. He played eight professional seasons, positioned himself as one of the sport’s most underrated relief pitchers, and still never understood his true purpose.
White helped Buttrey gain all three. The lanky righthander had his best major league season under White’s tutelage, finishing 2019 with a 1.27 WHIP and 3.98 ERA in 72⅔ innings. After the season, the Angels dismissed White as their pitching coach, along with manager Brad Ausmus. White is still out of baseball, but his former players still seek advice. Andrew Heaney turned to him two winters ago as an analytical sounding board.
Samantha always encouraged her husband to push through his hardships. The couple met in 2013, one year after the Boston Red Sox selected Ty in the fourth round of the MLB draft. She saw occasional signs of an inner struggle but always convinced him to continue the only career path he ever knew. Baseball is based on failure. Finding a ballplayer who doesn’t struggle is difficult.
“When Ty stepped away, honestly, baseball was all that Ty knew his entire life,” Samantha said. “All he did was play baseball. When he stepped away and actually got to try a lot of other things, he realized he took baseball for granted.”Ty did not want to wallow in his retirement. Baseball consumed him for a decade, and he longed to see what else existed. He and Samantha built a website and started hosting shows on Instagram live.
Behind The Lights taught mental skills and financial literacy and offered social media tips to 95 kids. The nonprofit spread to St. Croix, St. Thomas and Roatán, an island in Honduras. None of the kids ever wanted to leave the field. Their joy jolted a jaded ex-player. The Angels still owned Ty’s rights and jettisoned him to Class AAA Salt Lake City after spring training. He appeared in 34 games last season and sported a 5.94 ERA over 36 1/3 innings. He walked 23 batters, struck out 30 and finished with a 1.67 WHIP. Opponents averaged almost 10 hits per nine innings against him.
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