Jose Butto, RHP

B/T: R/R       Age: 23 (3/19/1998)
Height: 6’1’’      Weight: 202
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2017 out of Venezuela
2021 Stats: 20 GS, 98.2 IP, 10.0 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.6 HR/9, 3.83 ERA, 1.095 WHIP, 4.62 FIP

Jose Butto was signed out of Venezuela as a 19 year old during the 2017 International Free Agent (IFA) signing period. He was not highly regarded at the time due to his being three years older than the typical international free agent, his 6’1″ frame not being projectible, and his lacking exceptional velocity. As a result, he signed with the Mets organization for a paltry $5,000 bonus.

Despite arriving in the organization with little fanfare, Butto quickly impressed in the lower minors making his professional debut one day after officially signing. He would dominate the Dominican Summer League in 2017 posting a 1.44 ERA over 15 appearances. In the ensuing season, he was converted to a full time starter and given an aggressive assignment in the Appalachian League. Butto’s 1.93 first half ERA was similarly impressive.

Butto struggled following a mid-season promotion to Brooklyn that year but was still given a full-season assignment with Low-A Columbia for 2019. That was the season where Butto emerged as a legitimate pitching prospect in the Mets system. While his 3.62 ERA that year was more good than exceptional, he proved even without elite stuff he could still miss bats and limit home runs over the course of a full season. He finished the season with the fourth best FIP among all pitchers in the South Atlantic League.

After a strong showing in the Fall Instructional League which replaced the pandemic-cancelled 2020 season, Butto took several important steps forward in 2021. While many older pitchers who rely on command struggle to miss bats as they progress through the upper minors, Butto’s strikeout numbers were better than ever. His 9.3 K/9 with Brooklyn would have been the best of his career, but then he turned it up a notch with a downright elite 11.2 K/9 following a mid-season promotion to Binghamton. He did not sacrifice any command either, as his 2.2 BB/9 was his best since 2017. Taken together, Butto’s 4.6 K/BB ratio ranked 48th (out of 277) of all minor league pitchers with at least 90 innings pitched.

Unfortunately, he uncharacteristically struggled with the long ball giving up 17 home runs, which was almost double his previous career high. This attributed to his having a 3.83 ERA for the season, just a few ticks below the previous career-high in 2018. He did get the home runs under control a bit following his promotion to Binghamton; however, he finished the season incredibly strong, with a 2.45 ERA and 4.7 K/BB ratio over his final six starts.

As previously mentioned, Butto is not an overpowering pitcher. He typically sits in the low-90s and tops out around 96 MPH. His relatively short stride (see the videos provided below) likely only reduces the perceived velocity of the pitch. This relatively low velocity is offset by his spin rate. According to Fangraphs, his fastball averages a 2350 RPM spin rate, which is well above average, allowing the pitch to miss bats up in the zone despite the lack of velocity.

#Mets No. 14 prospect Jose Butto carried a no-no into the sixth. Final line:

6 IP
1 H
0 R
0 BB
8 K pic.twitter.com/cxWmsZgk1y

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 8, 2021

The real gem of Butto’s arsenal is his change-up. MLB Pipeline regards it as a plus pitch and gushed about it in their most recent write-up on him: “The 6-foot-1 right-hander really sells the pitch with the same hand speed upon delivery, only for it to show 10-11 mph of separation from the fastball with depth thus making hitters look bad when they swing early.” Similarly, Baseball America recently rated it as the best change-up in the organization. Butto’s third pitch is a slurvy breaking ball which is generally regarded as below average.

Jose Butto in AA this season

4 starts/26 IP
2.35 ERA
31.2 K%
3.2 BB%
28 K-BB%
3.50 FIP
3.09 xFIP
43.9 GB%
18.0 SwStr% pic.twitter.com/qQgUyVsNPg

— Michael (@mdonodeo2) August 9, 2021

Mechanically, Butto has a fairly smooth and repeatable delivery that makes good use of both upper- and lower-body. This allows him to consistently throw strikes and also to make his changeup particularly deceptive as it tunnels with his fastball.

Overall, Butto is moving smoothly through the Mets organization, should start next season with Triple-A Syracuse. Depending on injuries, he may eventually be in line for a call-up at some point in 2022. He is currently tracking as steady back-of-the-rotation starter or solid two-pitch reliever in the major leagues, but he also had never looked more dominant than at the end of 2021, so he may have yet have another gear to show.

While Butto is slightly younger and had pitched above Single-A, he finds himself in a similar position to Dedniel Nunez. Nunez as taken from the Mets by the Giants in the Rule 5 draft last year. Given the Mets’ issues with pitching depth and the way in which Butto ended his 2021 season, it would be surprising to see the Mets leave him unprotected again this year.