Around the Curve | Back In His Hometown, Former Curve Coach Blake Butler Readies Himself For a Second Season Managing Greensboro

This story is part of the series 2025 Spring Break: Young Bucs Edition, a compilation of reports from Bradenton leading up to Opening Day.

BRADENTON, Fla. – After two seasons on Altoona’s coaching staff in 2022 and 2023, Greensboro, NC native Blake Butler spent last season as the Manager for High-A Greensboro and led them to a post-season appearance after securing a First Half title.

It was a learning experience for Butler in his first ever managerial role, yet one that he was well-prepared for after spending four seasons working as a coach in the Pirates minor league system.

“I was fortunate to have a really good staff around me,” Butler relayed outside the batting cages at Pirate City on Thursday afternoon. “I learned to rely on the staff, to trust them and find ways to use them and make them feel appreciated.”

It was clear from early in his tenure with the Curve that Butler had the demeanor and baseball-smarts to be a quality minor league manager. He built in-depth relationships with his players, and it was instrumental in Greensboro’s 75-55 record last season, the second-best mark among South Atlantic League teams. Several star players from Greensboro’s first half roster, like pitchers Hunter Barco and Jaden Woods as well as infielder Termarr Johnson made their way to Altoona and ought to play a big role for the Curve in 2025.

“Jaden Woods started a little slow for us, maybe had some nerves with it being his first professional season, but he wanted to be in big situations for us. Be the fireman to clean up innings and he really got better and better in the time that we had him,” Butler relayed.

Hunter Barco, Greensboro’s Opening Day starter last season, is part of the next wave of top pitching prospects for the Pirates and laid a great baseline in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.

“He was really consistent and gave us really important innings to help us clinch the first half. He’s set up to have a really good year,” Butler shared.

As for what’s coming? Infielder Jack Brannigan was at the top of Butler’s list as someone that Curve fans should be excited to see this season.

“He is just tremendous on the infield, starts with his arm, it jumps out at you just in catch play. He’s got good feet, good hands and controls the field when he’s out there,” Butler said. “We were comfortable with him at all three spots on the infield [third base, shortstop and second base], and while he was doing both hitting and pitching in college; he really got better as the year went on at the plate. When he got going at the plate, he got really hot really quick. Wherever he goes this year he’s going to jump off the field.”

While the Grasshoppers will once again be one of the most talented teams in the organization to start the minor league season, Butler is thrilled to remain around his hometown and with another veteran addition to his coaching staff in Phillip Wellman.

Wellman, who became a viral sensation for an epic blow up at an umpire in 2007 when he was Managing the Atlanta Braves Double-A affiliate in Mississippi, is going to a wonderful addition to the Pirates player development structure.

“You would never expect him to be as kind and sweet and generous,” Butler said with a smile. “He is such a good soul, he’s playful about the video and spoke in one of our meetings about it and really got us laughing about it a little. Hes just a great baseball man.”

Curve Cuts

• Another intrasquad played today at Pirate City as the Orioles made their short trip up from Sarasota to take on a collection of Pirates minor leaguers. Mike Burrows started for the Double-A/Triple-A group and tossed three dominant innings before getting touched up for two runs in the fourth. Burrows showcased the same dominant fastball/Curveball combination that helped him become one of the top Pirates pitching prospects and is likely to push his way to Pittsburgh at some point this season.
• Jase Bowen spent most of his off-season in Birmingham, Alabama working out with a group of 20 or so baseball players that center their faith in their life. “It really taught me how to be a Christian leader and I picked up a lot of little nuggets from guys, some of whom play in the big leagues now about hitting and how to be a leader,” Bowen shared after Thursday morning’s workout at Pirate City. “The most important lesson I learned was to just be aggressive and be myself as a player. Trust the work that I’ve put in and to just be me.”
• Javier Rivas is another name to monitor at the lower levels of the minor league system. Rivas reached High-A Greensboro at the end of last season and caught Butler’s attention when he saw him at Pirate City for the first time this year. Rivas shared with Butler that he added 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason which will certainly help him develop into an intriguing power prospect in the system.
• Nick Cimillo rocked a long solo homer in the Double-A/Triple-A game today and seems to be in line to return as Altoona’s first baseman in 2025. Cimillo spent a decent chunk of his off-season in his native New Jersey, settling in Mahwah where he had easy access to New York City and several instructors and facilities to work out. Cimillo spent most of the offseason working on the lower half of his swing, specifically holding his back hip and driving the baseball.
• Infielder Brenden Dixon also suited up in the Double-A/Triple-A game today and picked up a pair of hits. Dixon was slowed by a hand injury in the final two months of the 2024 season that required a surgical intervention after the season. Dixon’s rehab wrapped up with plenty of time left in the offseason for him to still enjoy a hunting excursion to Kansas with former Curve infielder Nick Gonzales and former Pirate Rowdy Tellez. Dixon says he feels like he’s in great shape right now and is excited to get another opportunity at Double-A.
• Left-hander Hunter Furtado is another name to monitor in the lower levels this season. Pittsburgh’s sixth round pick in 2023 out of Alabama, Furtado sat comfortably in the 94-96 range with his heater and popped a few 98’s in Thursday’s game. While he struggled with walks last season at Bradenton, Furtado’s fastball velocity and feel for his breaking stuff gives him the tools to have a long major league career.

Stay tuned to the Around the Curve blog all week for our 2025 Spring Break: Young Bucs Edition series, with Jon Mozes and Preston Shoemaker reporting from Bradenton.