Hutch Award

The Hutch Award is a Major League Baseball award [cite web
title = A Brief History of the Hutch Award
publisher = Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
url = http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/events/hutch_award/award_history.html
accessdate = 2008-04-09] given to an active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win. The award was created in 1965 in honor of Fred Hutchinson, the former major league baseball pitcher and manager, who died of cancer in November 1964 at the age of 45.

The Hutch Award was created by Hutch's longtime friends Bob Prince, broadcaster of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Jim Enright, Chicago sportswriter; and Ritter Collett, sports editor of the "Dayton Journal Herald". They also created a scholarship fund for medical students engaged in cancer research to honor Hutch's memory.

The award is now presented each January in Seattle, Hutch's hometown and the site of the renowned cancer center that bears his name. The award is hosted by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and is bestowed at the annual "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" "Sports Star of the Year" Banquet. Recipients traveling to Seattle to accept the award have visited and lifted the spirits of patients at the Hutchinson Center.

The permanent display of the Hutch Award trophy is at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, where it has been since 1979, with the list of winners updated yearly. A replica is on display in Seattle.

Danny Thompson, the 1974 recipient, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier that year. He continued to play through the 1976 season; he died that December at the age of 29. [cite web
last = Salisbury
first = Jim
title = Commentary: This memory of Killebrew is priceless
publisher = Philadelphia Inquirer
date = 2007-12-22
url = http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/12749452.html?page=2&c=y
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-09]

Recipients

*1965 Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees
*1966 Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers
*1967 Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox
*1968 Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds
*1969 Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers
*1970 Tony Conigliaro, Boston Red Sox
*1971 Joe Torre, St. Louis Cardinals
*1972 Bobby Tolan, Cincinnati Reds
*1973 John Hiller, Detroit Tigers
*1974 Danny Thompson, Minnesota Twins
*1975 Gary Nolan, Cincinnati Reds
*1976 Tommy John, Los Angeles Dodgers
*1977 Willie McCovey, San Francisco Giants
*1978 Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates
*1979 Lou Brock, St. Louis Cardinals
*1980 George Brett, Kansas City Royals
*1981 Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds
*1982 Andre Thornton, Cleveland Indians
*1983 Ray Knight, Houston Astros
*1984 Don Robinson, Pittsburgh Pirates
*1985 Rick Reuschel, Chicago Cubs
*1986 Dennis Leonard, Kansas City Royals
*1987 Paul Molitor, Milwaukee Brewers
*1988 Ron Oester, Cincinnati Reds
*1989 Dave Dravecky, San Francisco Giants
*1990 Sid Bream, Pittsburgh Pirates
*1991 Bill Wegman, Milwaukee Brewers
*1992 Carney Lansford, Oakland Athletics
*1993 John Olerud, Toronto Blue Jays
*1994 Andre Dawson, Boston Red Sox
*1995 Jim Abbott, California Angels
*1996 Omar Vizquel, Cleveland Indians
*1997 Eric Davis, Baltimore Orioles
*1998 David Cone, New York Yankees
*1999 Sean Casey, Cincinnati Reds
*2000 Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics
*2001 Curt Schilling, Arizona Diamondbacks
*2002 Tim Salmon, Anaheim Angels
*2003 Jamie Moyer, Seattle Mariners
*2004 Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres
*2005 Craig Biggio, Houston Astros
*2006 Mark Loretta, Boston Red Sox
*2007 Mike Sweeney, Kansas City Royals
*2008 Carlos Beltran, New York Mets

Other baseball awards for spirit

* The Major League Baseball Alumni Association initiated the Heart & Hustle Award in 2005 for the "active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win".
* The San Francisco Giants have given out the Willie Mac Award since 1980 to "the player on the San Francisco Giants who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by Willie McCovey throughout his long career."

Omar Vizquel has won all three of the Hutch Award, the Heart & Hustle Award and the Willie Mac Award. The only other player that has won more than one of these awards is Dave Dravecky, although Willie McCovey himself won the Hutch Award in 1977.

References