SEATTLE, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Major League Baseball’s Mark Teahen, longtime third baseman for the Kansas City Royals and recently acquired by the Chicago White Sox, will receive the 2009 Hutch Award(®). The award is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson, both on and off the field.
The 28-year-old Redlands, Calif., native made his MLB debut with the Royals in April 2005, playing third and first bases and the outfield. He had been a unanimous first-team, All-West Coast Conference selection in 2002. Teahen, whose father is from Ontario, has dual Canadian-American citizenship and last March played on the Canadian men’s national team in the World Baseball Classic. On Nov. 5 he was traded to the White Sox.
“I am extremely excited to accept the Hutch Award, and I am humbled to be added to the prestigious list of former recipients,” Teahen said. “I am honored and am thankful for all of my friends and family who help me accomplish the many successes I’ve been fortunate to achieve.”
Teahen said the Hutch Award and its connection with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center mean even more to him because this year he witnessed his mother’s successful battle with breast cancer.
Off the field, Teahen has been active in the local community. For nearly the entirety of his tenure with the Royals, Teahen served as a key spokesman and fundraiser for the YMCA Challenger Baseball program, a division of Little League Baseball that gives children with physical or mental challenges the opportunity to play on specially designed baseball fields. In addition, he has donated time to the Royals AbilityCAMP, an interactive baseball camp for kids with disabilities, and he has supported other causes and foundations focusing on the well-being of children.
Teahen will visit children at the Hutchinson Center’s Hutch School and receive his award at the annual Hutch Award Luncheon on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at Safeco Field in Seattle. Legendary pitcher and 1989 Hutch Award winner Dave Dravecky will be the featured speaker at the luncheon, which raises funds for cancer research.
The Hutchinson Center was founded by Fred’s brother Bill, a prominent Seattle surgeon, after Fred died of cancer at age 45. The Hutch Award was established in 1965 and was first given to Mickey Mantle. Other Hutch Award winners have included 2008 recipient Jon Lester, Mike Sweeney, Mark Loretta, Craig Biggio, Jamie Moyer, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Omar Vizquel, Sandy Koufax and Carl Yastrzemski. In all, 11 Hall-of-Famers have received the Hutch Award. For more information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc.org.
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