Pujols, Morneau Among 10 Finalists Chosen for Hutch Award

Written by: Jerry Milani on 9th October 2009

Pujols, Morneau Among 10 Finalists Chosen for Hutch Award | read this item

The baseball post season is awards time, and in addition to the well-known honors like the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, and Hank Aaron awards, which celebrate accomplishments on the field, there are others that recognize some less tangible attributes, such as the Roberto Clemente award.

A long-running major award that has traditionally received less acclaim nationally is the Hutch Award, given annually to the major league player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of renowned baseball player and manager Fred (“Hutch”) Hutchinson. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center — which was named in Hutch’s honor by his brother Dr. Bill Hutchinson, a surgeon, 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.

Ten Major League Baseball players, including two foreign-born stars, Albert Pujols and Justin Morneau, have been named finalists for the 2009 Award. A national committee has released the list, with the winner to visit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in January. The finalists for the 45th annual Hutch Award are:

Jonny Gomes, Cincinnati Reds
Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves
Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Mark Lowe, Seattle Mariners
Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles
Kevin Millwood, Texas Rangers
Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Mark Teahen, Kansas City Royals

This year’s Hutch Award recipient will be selected in November through a vote of all surviving former awardees. A total of 44 players have been honored since 1965, when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award. Eleven Hall-of-Famers, including Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Al Kaline, Willie McCovey and Lou Brock, all have received the Hutch Award, and in more recent years Jamie Moyer, Trevor Hoffman, Craig Biggio, Mark Loretta, Mike Sweeney and Jon Lester, the 2008 winner, have joined their ranks.

fred_hutchinson Only one internationally-born player has won the award, Venezuela’s Omar Vizquel in 1996.

Since 1992, when the Award moved to Seattle for presentation, Major League teams have been asked to submit nominations for the Award. In addition to MLB team nominations, an informed committee comprised of the current winner, sports media personnel, Hutchinson family members, and Hutch Award Planning Committee members nominate players each year. The nominations are then screened by Hutchinson Center staff to verify adherence to the Award criteria.

Click here for the full list of Hutch Award winners.

The award is presented each January in Seattle, Hutch’s hometown and the site of the renowned cancer center that bears his name. The Hutch Award will be presented at a fundraising luncheon honoring the awardee on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at Safeco Field in Seattle.

Hutchinson was 95-71 in a 10-year major league career, all with the Detroit Tigers. He went on to manage three teams over 12 years, winning 830 games and copping the pennant with the 1961 Reds.

Topics: Al Kaline, Baltimore Orioles, Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Hutchinson Cancer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Hutch Hutchinson, Independent Nonprofit Research, jamie moyer, Justin Morneau, Kevin Millwood, Major League Baseball Players, Millwood Texas, Nick Markakis, Nonprofit Research Institution, Roberto Clemente Award, Sandy Koufax, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Willie McCovey