Blake Butera will be the youngest manager in MLB in nearly a half-century when he skippers the Nationals on Opening Day, but he’s bringing a wealth of coaching experience in to help him out.
Earlier this week, the Nationals announced that 50-year-old Michael Johns will be following Butera from the Rays to serve as his bench coach, and newcomer Simon Mathews will serve as pitching coach.
Johns has been the Rays’ first base coach and also in charge of outfielders and baserunning the last two seasons, but before that he was the manager at Triple-A Durham in 2023, and he has eight years of managerial experience across multiple levels in Tampa Bay’s system.
“Michael shares the same values that are important to me and to our organization,” Butera said in the team’s statement announcing the hire.
“He’s humble, has an incredible work ethic and his preparation and attention to detail are unmatched. He played a major role in building Tampa Bay’s player development system and brings valuable recent Major League experience. More than anything, I know he’ll do everything he can to help our players, staff and organization succeed.”
Johns has also served as the Rays’ minor-league field coordinator, and has pro playing experience with two seasons in the Rockies’ system after being a 19th-round pick in 1997.
Mathews, 30, has spent the last four years with the Reds, serving as the assistant pitching coach last year. He was the assistant coordinator of rehab and pitching initiatives before that, implemented Cincinnati’s program at its academy in the DR in 2021, and has worked with both Push Performance and Driveline Baseball – so he will be one of those bringing POBO Paul Toboni’s heavy push for analytics to fruition.
“Simon brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and a wide range of experience to our staff,” said Butera. “He is grounded, has great perspective on pitching and connects incredibly well with players at all levels. He is widely respected throughout the game and the type of coach that makes everyone around him better. Simon is a tireless worker and is uniquely equipped to help our pitchers reach their full potential.”
Simon also has pro experience, as he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Angels in 2017 and made 71 appearances in their system from 2017-19, posting a 4.51 ERA. He is, however, still in the Top 10 in program history at Georgetown in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.