COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) is pleased to announce the 30 preliminary winners of the 2013 Heart & Hustle Award. This esteemed award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game. The Heart & Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players.
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 the 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, fans, all Alumni and active players will vote to select the final winner from the 30 team winners. The previous overall winners are Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011) and Mike Trout (2012).
The final winner will be announced Nov. 19, 2013, at the 14th Annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City. This event is the primary fundraiser for the series of free Legends for Youth baseball clinics. These clinics impact more than 15,000 children each year, 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:
American League
Baltimore Orioles: Nate McLouth
Boston Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia
Chicago White Sox: Alex Rios
Cleveland Indians: Jason Kipnis
Detroit Tigers: Don Kelly
Houston Astros: Brandon Barnes
Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: J.B. Shuck
Minnesota Twins: Ryan Doumit
New York Yankees: Brett Gardner
Oakland Athletics: Josh Donaldson
Seattle Mariners: Raul Ibanez
Tampa Bay Rays: Sam Fuld
Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre
Toronto Blue Jays: Mark DeRosa
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks: Gerardo Parra
Atlanta Braves: Andrelton Simmons
Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo
Cincinnati Reds: Shin-Soo Choo
Colorado Rockies: Michael Cuddyer
Los Angeles Dodgers: Nick Punto
Miami Marlins: Juan Pierre
Milwaukee Brewers: Carlos Gomez
New York Mets: Daniel Murphy
Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley
Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen
San Diego Padres: Chris Denorfia
San Francisco Giants: Hunter Pence
St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter
Washington Nationals: Ian Desmond
For more information regarding the Heart & Hustle Award, please contact Nikki Warner, director of communications, by email at [email protected] or by calling (719) 477-1870, ext. 105.
To learn more about the MLBPAA, please visit www.baseballalumni.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.