Fantasy talk: Billy Butler status report

The Royals have had yet another dreadful season in 2012, but their cornerstone player, Billy Butler, is having a great season. It seems like Butler has been with the Royals for a long time, but its only been 5 years. He has definitely lived up to his hype, and is really developing into a solid baseball player, thus making him a safe pick in fantasy baseball.

The Royals drafted Butler in the 1st round of the 2004 draft expecting that he would bring the franchise around. The guy absolutely crushed the ball in the minor leagues. In 2005, at the lower levels of the minor leagues, he hit .340 with 30 homers and 110 RBI in 121 games. He kept moving through the farm system, and got the call to the big leagues in 2007. He went on to hit .292 with 8 homers in 92 games that year, and the Royals made him their starting first baseman. Butler had a decent 2008 season, but opened some eyes in 2009 when he smacked 21 homers and 51 doubles in 159 games while maintaining a nice batting average of .301. That was when the Royals knew that Butler was going to be a keeper. In 2010-2011, Butler pretty much continued to be a consistent hitter. One knock about Butler is that he doesn't possess much power, and that is odd for a first baseman. In 2010 he hit 15 homers, and in 2011 he hit 19. When the Royals called up Eric Hosmer last year, Butler lost his first baseman job (not because he wasn't performing) and was converted into a designated hitter. 

Coming into this season, I would have expected Butler to simply put up the same stats as he did in the previous 3-4 seasons. I drafted him thinking that he would hit slightly over .300 with maybe 15 homers if I was lucky. I also knew that he was a double's machine, therefore making him a great pick. Butler has actually played way better than I thought he would this year, and is probably the best hitter on the Royals at the moment. (I don't know how big of an accomplishment that is, but it stands for something.) He has hit .311 with 26 homers and 93 RBI in 143 games this year. He has 25 doubles, which is well below his career norm, but I'm definitely not worried about that. Butler has turned himself into one of the most reliable players in the game, and is getting better and better. There is a reasonable chance that he could finish the year with 30+ homers and 100 RBI, and I'm sure that the Royals would gladly take that. 

In conclusion, there can be a lot of great things said about Butler, and rightfully so. He is a great player, and will continue to get better. Its hard to believe that he is only 26 years old, and hasn't even reached his prime yet. He is going to be a key piece in the Royals' organization for years to come, and should also be an important fixture in your fantasy lineup everyday.