NEW ORLEANS - Former University of New Orleans teammates Joey Butler and Johnny Giavotella will reunite this fall as members of the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, their Major League organizations announced this week.
Butler and Giavotella last played together as members of the 2008 Privateer squad that advanced to the Baton Rouge Regional as an NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament at-large selection.
In their professional careers, they are no stranger to run-ins, having competed on opposite sides of the fields in the Double-A Texas League.
Butler is a member of the Frisco Roughriders in the Texas Rangers organization while Giavotella is on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals' roster, within the Kansas City Royals organization.
In addition to their regular season meetings, the two played on opposite sides in the Texas League All-Star Game this past June in Midland, Texas where Butler also participated in the league's Home Run Derby.
A starting outfielder for Frisco, Butler is hitting .279 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs. A 15th round selection for the Texas Rangers in the 2008 MLB draft, the Moss Point, Miss. product ranks 10th in the Texas League with 25 doubles and 12th in runs scored with 67.
One of the top prospects in the Royals' organization Giavotella is also one of the top players in the Texas League for the Naturals. The former Jesuit product is hitting .327 with 89 runs, nine home runs and 63 RBIs.
Giavotella leads the league in runs scored, ranks second in the league with 33 doubles and fifth in batting average. The Royals' Double-A Player of the Month this past July, Giavotella was selected in the second round of the 2008 MLB draft.
The Arizona Fall League will get underway on Oct. 12 with the Surprise Rafters being coached by Mike Guerrero, manager of the Double-A Huntsville Stars of the Milwaukee Brewers system.
