SAN FRANCISCO–Nick Hundley was told a few days ago that he would be this year’s recipient of the Willie Mac Award.
But when he finally stepped on the field on Friday evening and had the Hall of Fame first baseman hand him the plaque, the significance of the honor began to set in.
“That was incredible,” Hundley said. “I couldn’t really get my heart rate down for the first couple of innings. The adrenaline was pumping so much. To be with those type of players, not only players but teammates, is really, really special.”
Prior to the start of the Giants’ final series of the season, Willie McCovey told the fans at AT&T Park that Hundley, a 10th year Major League veteran and first-year San Francisco Giant was this year’s honoree. The award is voted on by teammates, training staff, clubhouse staff, fans and McCovey himself, and a slew of past winners were in attendance on Friday night to welcome Hundley into an exclusive club.
“It’s humbling, kind of surreal,” Hundley said. “Like I said, you go out there and Willie McCovey, one of the greatest players ever is handing you his name and award, you know. It was really cool to hear a couple of days ago that I was going to win it and then it just got exponentially better when my family was out there, my girls, and then all of my teammates were out there. The guys that I’ve looked up there were out there too, so it was really special.”
Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy relied on Hundley to spell catcher Buster Posey behind the plate throughout the second half of the season, and the Corvallis, Oregon native has provided San Francisco with a dependable, consistent presence who’s earned the praise of nearly every teammate at different points during the season.
“You guys know Nick, he comes to the park every day with the same attitude, enthusiasm, even when he’s not playing, he’s on the bench watching the game,” Bochy said. “Pulling for the guys, making noise, supporting them, he just has that great attitude and it’s fun to see a guy that just shows up the way he does every day and has a passion for the game the way he does.”
After the game, Hundley expressed his appreciation for the Giants’ organization, which decided to fly in Hundley’s family for Friday’s ceremony.
“The Giants’ organization, just proves another first-class move,” Hundley said. “They’ve been first class. I’ve only been here for six, seven months but they’ve been first class the whole time.”