Alex Gordon named Hutch Award winner

KANSAS CITY, MO - The Fred Hutchinson Center Research Center has announced that Royals outfielder Alex Gordon will receive the 50th annual Hutch Award. The award is given each year 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.

Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield will give the keynote address at the Hutch Award Luncheon and presentation on Thursday, January 29 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Hutchinson's hometown. Over the past 15 years, the Hutch Award Luncheon has raised gross proceeds of more than $4.3 million to support research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. 

Gordon is coming off a stellar season in which he led the American League Champions in homers (19) and RBI (74) and tied for second in doubles (34) as the Royals made their first playoff appearance since 1985. He was selected to his second-straight All-Star Game, becoming the first Royals outfielder to be named to consecutive American League All-Star teams since Willie Wilson in 1982 and 1983. After switching positions from third base to left field prior to the 2011 season, Gordon was awarded with his fourth-consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award and also won the American League's 2014 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award as the best defensive player in the league. 

Off the field, Gordon has been a longtime supporter of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004) and her desire to raise money for children cancer research. Since then, the foundation bearing her name has raised more than $80 million. As a local spokesperson for ALSF, Gordon attends Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation events, participates in public service announcements, welcomes children diagnosed with cancer out to the ballpark, and visits youngsters unable to make it to the stadium at local children's hospitals. Through his involvement, the Royals and Aramark, the official concessionaire of Kauffman Stadium, now donate a portion of the proceeds from each lemonade sale at the ballpark to ALSF. Gordon also began a partnership with Papa John's in 2013 to create the "Alex Gordon Double Deal" with a portion of each sale donated to ALSF. For more on Gordon's efforts with ALSF, please visit www.royals.com/lemonade.

Gordon has also supported other cancer-related causes, including MLB's Honorary Bat Girl program, the Team Jack Foundation and Braden's Hope for Childhood Cancer. He and his wife, Jamie, also hosted the Playing for Pink Casino Night in their hometown of Lincoln, Neb., in 2011 to support a youth baseball team and their efforts to raise money for breast cancer research. In addition, Gordon is actively involved in a number of other Royals community outreach events.

When Gordon visits Seattle to receive his Hutch Award, he will also tour the Fred Hutchinson Center Research Center and the Hutch School, a unique K-12 accredited education program that serves young cancer patients and school-age family members of patients. 

The Hutch Award recipient is selected annually through a vote of all surviving former honorees. A total of 50 players have been honored since 1965, when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award. Gordon becomes the fifth Royal to win the award, joining George Brett (1980), Dennis Leonard (1986), Mike Sweeney (2007) and Billy Butler (2011). Former Royal Mark Teahen also won the 2009 award but was a member of the Chicago White Sox at the time of his award acceptance.