Ten MLB players are up for the 47th annual Hutch Award®, which is sponsored by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Of the finalists, who were nominated by a national committee, one will go on to receive the award at Safeco Field in February.
Baseball Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken Jr. will give the keynote address at the Hutch Award Luncheon on Feb. 1, 2012. Proceeds will benefit early cancer detection research at the Hutchinson Center .
This year’s Hutch Award nominees are:
Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals Tony Campana, Chicago Cubs Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox Josh Willingham, Oakland AthleticsThe Hutch Award recipient will be selected this fall through a vote of all surviving former awardees. A total of 46 players have been honored since 1965, when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award. Baseball’s Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Willie McCovey and Lou Brock all received the Hutch Award; in recent years Jamie Moyer, Craig Biggio, Jon Lester, Mark Teahen and Tim Hudson have joined their ranks.
The Hutch Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of legendary baseball player and manager Fred Hutchinson. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – founded by Fred’s brother, Dr. Bill Hutchinson, after Fred succumbed to cancer at age 45 – is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and related diseases.
For more information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients, or to learn more about the luncheon, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.