MLBPAA announces team winners of 15th annual Heart and Hustle Award
Colorado Springs, Colorado -- The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) is pleased to announce the 30 preliminary winners of the 2019 Heart and Hustle Award. This esteemed award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. The Heart and Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players. Voting is conducted prior to All-Star break.
The MLBPAA formed 30 committees, comprised of Alumni players with established relationships to each team. One player from each Major League team is chosen by the committees based on their passion, desire and work ethic demonstrated both on and off the field. These players will be recognized prior to an upcoming home game. As the season draws to a close, all alumni and active players will vote to select the final winner from the 30 team winners. The previous overall winners are David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012), Dustin Pedroia (2013), Josh Harrison (2014), Anthony Rizzo (2015), Todd Frazier (2016), Brett Gardner (2017) and Mookie Betts (2018).
The overall winner will be announced Nov. 7, 2019 at the 20th annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City. This event is the primary fundraiser for the MLBPAA's series of free Legends for Youth Baseball Clinics. These clinics impact more than 19,000 children each year at 185 clinics, allowing them the unique opportunity to interact with and learn from players who have left a lasting impact on the game of baseball.
The 30 individual team winners are as follows:
| AL Team | Player | NL Team | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | Trey Mancini | Arizona Diamondbacks | Eduardo Escobar |
| Boston Red Sox | Rafael Devers | Atlanta Braves | Nick Markakis |
| Chicago White Sox | James McCann | Chicago Cubs | Javier Báez |
| Cleveland Indians | Francisco Lindor | Cincinnati Reds | José Iglesias |
| Detroit Tigers | Niko Goodrum | Colorado Rockies | Tony Wolters |
| Houston Astros | Jake Marisnick | Los Angeles Dodgers | Max Muncy |
| Kansas City Royals | Whit Merrifield | Miami Marlins | Miguel Rojas |
| Los Angeles Angels | David Fletcher | Milwaukee Brewers | Lorenzo Cain |
| Minnesota Twins | Byron Buxton | New York Mets | Jeff McNeil |
| New York Yankees | DJ LeMahieu | Philadelphia Phillies | J.T. Realmuto |
| Oakland Athletics | Marcus Semien | Pittsburgh Pirates | Josh Bell |
| Seattle Mariners | Mitch Haniger | San Diego Padres | Fernando Tatís, Jr. |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Avisaíl García | San Francisco Giants | Pablo Sandoval |
| Texas Rangers | Hunter Pence | St. Louis Cardinals | Paul DeJong |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Freddy Galvis | Washington Nationals | Howie Kendrick |
For more information regarding the Heart and Hustle Award, please contact Nikki Warner, director of communications, by e-mail at Nikki@MLBPAA.com or by calling (719) 477-1870, ext. 105.
To learn more about the MLBPAA, please visit www.baseballalumni.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@MLBPAA). The official hashtag for this award is #HeartandHustle.