Royals' Butler born to hit -- and just kept right on going

Royals: Five things to know

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- You've heard of a player who could fall out of bed and collect four hits?

That's not Billy Butler. Nope. Way too pedestrian.

As a rookie last season, Billy Butler hit .292 with 8 HRs and 52 RBI. (Getty Images)

Our guy could fall with a thud from the top deck of a bunk bed, land in three feet of water because the roof had been leaking during an overnight thunderstorm, pick himself up, carry his wife, dog and several pieces of furniture to safety, all with his left arm ... and then get four knocks swinging Wonderboy (or whatever his silver-gilded bat is going to be fondly referred to by future generations) with just his right arm.

"The joke in here is, some guys say if you're throwing stuff around the clubhouse, be careful of throwing it too close to Billy, because he'll hit it," Kansas City left fielder Mark Teahen says.

Yes, the Legend of Billy Butler, which had been swirling up from the dust of Kansas City's minor league fields since he was an 18-year-old babe in Idaho Falls in 2004, is taking root.

He introduced himself to pro ball in '04 by winning the short-season, rookie-level Northwest League batting title with a spectacular .373 average (he also led the league with 68 RBI and 74 runs scored).

He motored along at .348 the next season at Class A High Desert, then won the Double-A Texas League batting title at .331 as a 20-year-old in 2006.

As a rookie in Kansas City last season, he hit .292 with eight homers and 52 RBI in 92 games, including a blistering .340 average against left-handers with a .404 on-base percentage.

He hits at night. Hits during the day. Hits in hot weather or cold, big cities or small, with major league fans screaming from their seats or minor league coyotes howling beyond the outfield fences.

As Baseball Prospectus notes Butler is only the third player in Kansas City franchise history to bat 300 times in a season at age 21 or younger.

He's in pretty good company. The other two are George Brett and Clint Hurdle, which, I guess, means Butler also has a bright future either as a Hall of Famer or manager of the Colorado Rockies.

"That's jumping way ahead to even be compared to those two guys," says Butler, 21 and still wide-eyed. "It's an honor to even be mentioned with them.