:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56921885/853876350.0.jpg)
Nick Hundley won the 2017 Willie Mac Award, given to the player on the Giants who "best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by (Willie) McCovey throughout his long career." The backup catcher was awarded the prestigious honor based on a vote from his teammates and coaches.
He’ll join an illustrious list of Giants who make me squeal when they’re brought back for the pre-game ceremonies in subsequent Willie Mac ceremonies. A list of previous winners:
Willie Mac Award winners, 1980-2017
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| Year | Player |
| 1980 | Jack Clark |
| 1981 | Larry Herndon |
| 1982 | Joe Morgan |
| 1983 | Darrell Evans |
| 1984 | Bob Brenly |
| 1985 | Mike Krukow |
| 1986 | Mike Krukow |
| 1987 | Chris Speier |
| 1988 | José Uribe |
| 1989 | Dave Dravecky |
| 1990 | Steve Bedrosian |
| 1991 | Robby Thompson |
| 1992 | Mike Felder |
| 1993 | Kirt Manwaring |
| 1994 | (not awarded due to strike) |
| 1995 | Mark Leiter |
| 1995 | Mark Carreon |
| 1996 | Shawon Dunston |
| 1997 | J. T. Snow |
| 1998 | Jeff Kent |
| 1999 | Marvin Benard |
| 2000 | Ellis Burks |
| 2001 | Mark Gardner |
| 2001 | Benito Santiago |
| 2002 | David Bell |
| 2003 | Marquis Grissom |
| 2004 | J. T. Snow |
| 2005 | Mike Matheny |
| 2006 | Omar Vizquel |
| 2007 | Bengie Molina |
| 2008 | Bengie Molina |
| 2009 | Matt Cain |
| 2010 | Andres Torres |
| 2011 | Ryan Vogelsong |
| 2012 | Buster Posey |
| 2013 | Hunter Pence |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner |
| 2015 | Matt Duffy |
| 2016 | Javier Lopez, Brandon Crawford (tie) |
| 2017 | Nick Hundley |
The last Giant to win the award in his first year was Matt Duffy in 2015, and the last catcher to win was Buster Posey in 2012.
Hundley’s offensive production has been right in line with his career marks, but he also drew rave reviews for his veteraninitude when it came to working with young pitchers like Ty Blach, Chris Stratton, and Kyle Crick. He was also a strong thrower behind the plate, too, giving the Giants another arm to control the running game when Buster Posey was sitting.
Congratulations to Nick Hundley for joining a very, very special club. He can walk up and get as many garlic fries as he can carry, no questions asked, for the rest of his life. And if that’s not true, it should be.