John Butcher

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1980-1986)

W–L 36–49
ERA 4.42
WHIP 1.39
SO 363
Pitcher PIV -2400.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 185 lb
Born
3/8/1957 in Glendale, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1980-09-08
Last Game
1986-09-09

Full name: John Daniel Butcher

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Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
36 49 164 113 23 6 6 833.7 931 409 79 229 363 4.42 -2400.0

Career ERA 4.42 vs. league average 3.85 across their career seasons — 14.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1980 TEX AL 3 3 6 6 1 0 0 35.3 34 16 13 27 4.08 3.84 (-6%) 692.3
1981 TEX AL 1 2 5 3 1 1 0 27.7 18 5 8 19 1.63 3.58 (+55%) 1036.0
1982 TEX AL 1 5 18 13 2 0 1 94.3 102 51 34 39 4.87 3.86 (-26%) -1296.5
1983 TEX AL 6 6 38 6 1 1 5 123.0 128 48 41 58 3.51 3.87 (+9%) 600.6
1984 MIN AL 13 11 34 34 8 1 0 225.0 242 86 53 83 3.44 3.81 (+10%) -109.3
1985 MIN AL 11 14 34 33 8 2 0 207.7 239 115 43 92 4.98 3.89 (-28%) -597.5
1986 MIN AL 0 3 16 10 1 0 0 70.0 82 49 24 29 6.30 3.97 (-59%) -1897.4
1986 CLE AL 1 5 13 8 1 1 0 50.7 86 39 13 16 6.93 3.97 (-74%) -828.1
Career · 8 seasons 36 49 164 113 23 6 6 833.2 931 409 229 363 4.42 — -2,400

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
164 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1980 TEX AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 TEX AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 TEX AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 TEX AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 MIN AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 MIN AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 MIN AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 CLE AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 164 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (328 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home7900000—
Away8500000—

Pitching — Home / Away

SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home79413.1474202991834.40
Away85420.14572071301804.43

Last 10 Games — Pitching

DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1986-09-09 CLELAA — 2.0411000
1986-09-07 CLEMIL — 1.0000010
1986-08-14 CLEBAL — 4.01055221
1986-08-07 CLEDET — 4.01077330
1986-08-05 CLEDET L 0.0443002
1986-07-30 CLEDET L 5.1865220
1986-07-25 CLETEX — 3.0843000
1986-07-20 CLEKCR — 6.1722120
1986-07-12 CLETEX L 2.2966000
1986-07-07 CLECHW — 7.01133111

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 164 113 80 109 9 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1980 TEX P 6 6 1 6 1 0
1981 TEX P 5 3 3 5 0 0
1982 TEX P 18 13 7 19 0 3
1983 TEX P 38 6 11 17 0 0
1984 MIN P 34 34 25 20 3 5
1985 MIN P 34 33 24 27 2 2
1986 MIN P 16 10 4 10 0 1
1986 CLE P 13 8 5 5 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
Pitcher 164

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 MIN AL $385,000
1985 MIN AL $320,000
Total Career Earnings $705,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Yavapai College Prescott AZ 1976, 1977

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

John Butcher (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Paul Mitchell
    32-39, 4.45 ERA
  2. 92
    Jimmy Jones
    43-39, 4.46 ERA
  3. 92
    Bill Force
    54-46, 4.44 ERA
  4. 92
    Leniel Hooker
    41-46, 4.13 ERA
  5. 92
    Oscar Levis
    55-53, 4.35 ERA
  6. 91
    Chien-Ming Wang
    68-34, 4.36 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about John Butcher

What years did John Butcher play?
John Butcher played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1986.
Was John Butcher a pitcher?
Yes. John Butcher pitched in the major leagues, recording 36 wins and 363 strikeouts.