KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Billy Butler and the Royals quickly reached a deal.
Taken by Kansas City this week with the 14th overall pick in the amateur draft, the high school third baseman agreed to a contract Thursday that includes a $1.4 million signing bonus.
"I'm just along for the ride," the 18-year-old Butler said Thursday, already in uniform and in the batting cage. "I'm going to do whatever they tell me to do."
Butler will start at Idaho Falls in rookie ball.
"This is a very powerful kid," said Deric Ladnier, the Royals' senior director of scouting. "He can do a lot of damage if he gets his pitch to hit. We feel he could be an impact bat in this organization."
With Wednesday's game against Montreal rained out, the Royals went into their indoor facility to hit and took the excited teenager with them.
"I'm just here to play baseball," Butler said. "That's what I do best."
Wednesday's game was scheduled to be made up with a doubleheader on Thursday starting at 2:10 ET.
Rated by Baseball America as the best high school power hitter in the country, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Butler, a graduate of Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Fla., hit .433 in his senior season with four homers and 14 RBI. He had 48 walks in 115 plate appearances.
"There were times when he would be leading off an inning and they would still walk him," Ladnier said. "That's how much respect they had for this kid."
Butler's goal of getting to the big leagues in no more than three years seems to be in reach. Zack Greinke of Apopka, Fla., made his Royals debut last month and is 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA in four starts.
"If I perform, they've told me that is what will happen to me," Butler said. "if I perform to my capability I should expect to be up here at the same time. They believe in me and that's the big thing. It just makes things easier."
Like any hot young prospect, he knows just which major leaguer he'd like to emulate.
"I love Scott Rolen, the third baseman for St. Louis," he said. "I've always liked watching him play. Hopefully one day I'll hit like him. They're going to give me every opportunity to play third base."
Notes
The teams will stick with their pitching plans for the doubleheader. Montreal's Zach Day (4-6) will oppose Dennys Reyes (2-0) in the opener and Tomo Ohka (3-5) will go against Jimmy Gobble (3-3) in the second game. ... The Royals have one of the AL's worst interleague records. They and the Orioles began interleague play this year 51-70, trailing only Tampa Bay (38-68). ... The Expos have posted a winning record in interleague play in only two seasons. ... The Expos, who swept Kansas City at home in three games in 2002, are making their first visit to Kauffman Stadium.
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