Willie Mac Award Explained

The Willie Mac Award is named in honor of Willie McCovey. It has been presented annually since 1980 to the most inspirational player on the San Francisco Giants, as voted upon by Giants players, coaches, training staff, and more recently, Giants fans.[1] [2] McCovey personally presented the winner with the award in a pregame ceremony at AT&T Park near the conclusion of each season until his death on October 31, 2018.

Winners

YearPlayerPosition
RF
LF
2B
1B
C
P
P
2B
SS
P
P
2B
CF
C
(not awarded due to strike)
P
1B
SS
1B
2B
CF
RF[3]
P[4]
C
3B
CF
1B
C[5]
SS
C[6]
C[7]
P[8]
CF[9]
P[10]
C[11]
RF[12]
P[13]
3B[14]
P[15]
SS
C[16]
P[17]
2019Kevin PillarCF[18]
Mike YastrzemskiRF[19]
LaMonte Wade Jr.LF[20]
Wilmer Flores2B[21]
Thairo Estrada2B

Plaques with the names of each winner are placed in the ground surrounding the statue of Willie McCovey on the southern shore of China Basin, unofficially known as McCovey Cove.

Matt Duffy was the first rookie winner of the award.

Similar MLB awards involving Giants players

The Hutch Award is for the "active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win". Only Omar Vizquel and Dave Dravecky have won both the Willie Mac Award and the Hutch Award, although Willie McCovey won the Hutch Award in 1977.

Vizquel was a finalist in 2007 for the MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award, which honors the player who "best embodies the values, spirit and tradition of the game".

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Willie Mac Award http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/fan_forum/williemac_form.jsp sfgiants.com
  2. Ryan Vogelsong selected 2011 "Willie Mac" Award winner . September 9, 2011 . SFGiants.com.
  3. Schulman, Henry (September 22, 2000). Honors Burks With Willie Mac Award. sfgate.com.
  4. Schulman, Henry (October 6, 2001). Gardner, Santiago share 2001 Willie Mac Award. sfgate.com
  5. Draper, Rich (September 30, 2005). Matheny wins Willie Mac Award. sfgiants.com.
  6. Regan, Becky (September 21, 2007). Molina wins 'Willie Mac' Award. sfgiants.com.
  7. Haft, Chris (September 26, 2008). Molina repeats as 'Willie Mac' winner. sfgiants.com.
  8. Haft, Chris (September 25, 2009). Cain wins Giants' Willie Mac Award. sfgiants.com.
  9. Web site: Andres Torres selected 2010 'Willie Mac' Award winner | SFGiants.com: Official Info . Sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com . June 19, 2012 . September 22, 2012.
  10. Web site: Vogelsong voted Willie Mac Award winner . Chris . Haft . September 10, 2011 . MLB.com.
  11. Web site: Buster Posey is Giants' Willie Mac Award winner. San Jose Mercury News . September 21, 2012 . September 22, 2012.
  12. Web site: Hunter Pence named 2013 "Willie Mac" Award winner . San Francisco Giants. MLB . September 27, 2013 . September 27, 2013.
  13. News: Bumgarner wins Willie Mac Award . AP . September 26, 2014 .
  14. Web site: Rookie Matt Duffy wins 2015 Willie Mac Award. Alex. Pavlovic. October 2, 2015. CSN Bay Area. October 3, 2015.
  15. News: A tie for Willie Mac Award: Giants split honor between Brandon Crawford, Javier Lopez . Andrew . Baggarly . September 30, 2016 . Bay Area News Group.
  16. Web site: Giants Catcher Nick Hundley Wins Prestigious Willie Mac Award. nbcbayarea.com. October 1, 2018.
  17. Web site: Giants' Willie Mac Award surprise: Reliever Will Smith. September 29, 2018. sfchronicle.com. October 1, 2018.
  18. Web site: Outfielder Kevin Pillar wins Giants' Willie Mac Award after beginning year with Blue Jays . 2019-09-28. The Mercury News. en-US. 2019-09-28.
  19. Web site: Giants' Mike Yastrzemski wins 2020 Willie Mac Award in vote of teammates, fans . 2020-09-26. SF Chronicle . en-US . Henry . Schulman . 2023-03-19.
  20. Web site: Late Night LaMonte Wade Jr. named Willie Mac Award winner . 2021-10-01 . NBC Sports . Alex . Pavlovic . en-US. 2023-03-19.
  21. Web site: Wilmer Flores named 2022 Willie Mac Award winner . 2022-09-30. KNBR. en-US. 2022-09-30.

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