Everett Teaford to Receive Award from Kansas City Royals
1/16/2009 5:06:00 AM | Baseball
The organizational award winners for the 2008 season will be recognized at the 2009 Royals Awards Night this Friday (Jan. 16) at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel in
Teaford will receive the Mike Sweeney Award - recognizing a player who best represents the organization on and off the field. Teaford, a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher, helped anchor the pitching staff for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2008, posting an 8-6 mark with a 3.80 ERA. But it is through his off-the-field efforts where he continually separates himself from his peers. He was part of every hospital appearance, every baseball camp and every outside event that involved a Blue Rocks player in 2008. In recognition of his service, the Carolina League named him as the inaugural winner of the Matt Minker Community Service Award.
“It's an awesome honor to have your name associated with an award with Mike Sweeney's name on it. Everything I've heard about him is that he's an unbelievable guy... a great baseball player and great person in the community,” said Teaford.
A First Team All-Southern Conference pick in 2006, Teaford finished his three-year career ranked eighth all-time with 26 wins. He still remains sixth all-time in games started (48), seventh in innings pitched (348.1) and second in strikeouts (353). Teaford's 122 strikeouts in 2006 still rank as the sixth-highest total by a
Helping in the community wasn't something that Teaford starting doing since becoming a 12th round draft pick by the Royals in June 2006. Georgia Southern head baseball coach Rodney Hennon said Teaford played an active role in the elementary school reading program and the Buddy Ball program.
“It's about helping people and being a good person. I'm not trying to do it for an award or get my name in the newspaper. I am just trying to be a good person and help someone who might be less fortunate out,” said Teaford.
Teaford officially reports to Spring Training in Surprise,
“My goal is to go to Spring Training in good shape, work my tail off and hopefully put myself in a position to make it to Double-A. I just want to go out and help the organization anyway I can.”
Information from the Kansas City Royals used in the report.
