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It did not take long for Lawrence Butler to realize the importance of paying it forward to the next generation. He has already been part of one generation that greatly benefited from those who came before him. Growing up in Southwest Atlanta, Butler was one of several youth players from all sides of Atlanta recruited by former Braves outfielder and Georgia native Marquis Grissom, who after closing the chapter on a decorated 17-year Major League career as a World Series champion, two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner founded the Marquis Grissom Baseball Association in 2006 with a mission of providing athletes in underserved communities the opportunity to compete in a competitive baseball league. Through MGBA and “The Hill Boys,” a venture founded by Grissom and fellow former big leaguer Lou Collier, Butler and many other players honed their baseball skills and have since reached the professional ranks. Grissom and Collier have been a guiding light in Butler’s journey, one that has inspired the Athletics outfielder to give back through multiple avenues, leading to his naming as the A’s nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award. “I’ve been able to work with Marquis Grissom and Lou Collier, and I feel like they kind of changed my life,” Butler said. “So I feel like it’s my duty to kind of do the same thing for the next generation. “For them to be able to see big leaguers with them every day and coaching them and stuff like that, it kind of gives them a little bit more hope to achieve their dreams.” |
Butler has goals of achieving multiple All-Star selections, winning Gold Gloves and even pushing for an MVP award. But receiving his first career nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award – an honor given annually to the Major Leaguer who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field – exceeds those other individual accolades. “It means a lot,” Butler said. “That’s a really prestigious award. One of the best awards you can be nominated for or win in the league. To be nominated for it is pretty special.” Before the start of the 2025 season, Butler signed a seven-year contract extension to keep him in green and gold through at least the ‘31 season. With that raised profile, the 25-year-old has upped his humanitarian efforts by forming the L4W Foundation. The No. 4, Butler’s jersey number, is an homage to the Sandtown neighborhood where Butler grew up – known as Zone 4 – which molded him as a ballplayer and developed his love for baseball. To give back to his community and others like it, Butler created the L4W (pronounced 'Law') Foundation with a mission to ignite hope and community for inner-city, underrepresented youth by creating pathways to success through financial education, elite baseball training and impactful mentorship, aiming to ensure every child has the necessary tools and support to achieve greatness through sports, education and community. Butler has expanded those efforts in his team’s new home city. Earlier this year, he made a special appearance at the first Athletics Nike RBI Baseball Camp in Sacramento, interacting with starstruck kids from West Sacramento Little League by taking pictures and participating in a Q&A. |
“It was something I always wanted to do,” Butler said. “I always wanted to start my own program and just help kids learn the game of baseball and learn the game of life. I just want to give them any answers that they have questions to.” Before Spring Training, Butler – who participated in several MLB Develops programs as a youth since the age of 14 – attended the 2025 MLB Dream Series at Tempe Diablo Stadium as a mentor. The annual event, hosted in connection with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is an amateur baseball development experience designed to diversify the talent pool of minority pitchers and catchers, with this year’s event extending its inclusion to position players. Over the past year, Butler also participated in a recess takeover at Mariemont Elementary School in Sacramento and visited with kids at UC Davis Children’s Hospital and GiGi’s Playhouse, which offers free educational, therapeutic and career-building programs to individuals with Down syndrome. This is only scratching the surface. Butler has a long career ahead of him in the game, leaving him plenty of time to leave his mark off the field. “I do stuff every offseason every year,” Butler said. “I’m just hoping that each year it gets bigger and bigger so we can help more kids every year.” |
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“It’s been a challenging year for Zack. The positive is that he still has a lot of time on his side. We all have adversity. But if there’s somebody that can handle it, I think Zack’s that guy. He’s been unwavering in his mindset and open to all things that we’ve asked him to do. He’s going to make that commitment again. Sometimes, the second time you go through something, it doesn’t get any easier, but you know the expectation and you know what you’re in for. Talking to him, I think he’s got the right mindset going into this.” – A’s manager Mark Kotsay on Zack Gelof, whose season came to an abrupt end on Friday night due to a dislocated left shoulder |
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