"After another productive season at the plate, Royals designated hitter Billy Butler garnered some national recognition on Thursday. Butler, 25, will receive the 47th annual Hutch Award, an honor given each year to a major league baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson, both for on-field achievement and off-the-field work. Butler will accept the award on Feb. 1 at Safeco Field in Seattle in a presentation that will include a keynote address by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.

Hutchinson, a Seattle native, was a longtime player and manager who died of cancer in 1964. Butler batted .291 with 19 homers and 44 doubles in 2011, his first season as the Royals' full-time designated hitter."