Piscotty honored as Hutch Award winner

CLEVELAND -- A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty was named the winner of the 54th annual Hutch Award on Tuesday.

The award is handed out by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and it honors a Major League Baseball player who best represents the courage and dedication of the late Fred Hutchinson.

Piscotty was nominated by the A’s for the courage and commitment shown as his mother, Gretchen, battled ALS. She passed away last year, and Piscotty, his father, Mike, and his brothers, Nick and Austin, have honored her memory by putting together various fundraisers in an effort to raise awareness and find a cure for ALS, including the launch of the ALS CURE Project.

“It’s a little bittersweet. If my mom doesn’t get ALS, we wouldn’t have to go through all this stuff,” Piscotty said. “I would rather take that route, but that’s just not the cards we were dealt. It is very meaningful and brings some positivity to the situation. Hopefully, we can carry that momentum into doing special things as far as curing ALS.”

Piscotty will be honored at the 2019 Hutch Award Luncheon on July 18 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

“That’s a huge award. I know all about that one,” A's manager Bob Melvin said. “That’s another feather in his cap and what he’s all about. He’s not a "look at me" type of guy, but he’s out in the community and works for his cause.”