Heart & Hustle Award

Heart & Hustle Award

Logo for the Heart & Hustle Award
Sport	Major League Baseball
Country	United States & Canada
Presented by	Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA)
History
First award	2005
Most recent	Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (2024)

The Heart & Hustle Award is given out annually by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) to a current player who not only excels on the field, but also "best embodies the values, spirits and traditions of baseball." ^[1]

Nominations are taken from the alumni of the teams, and the winner is selected via a letter ballot by the members of the MLBPAA. The most recent winner of the Heart & Hustle Award is Bobby Witt Jr..

Winners

Key

Player (X)	Name of the player and number of times they had won the award at that point (if more than one)
†	Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Bobby Witt Jr. is the most recent winner of the award.

Year	Winner	Position	Team	Ref
2005	David Eckstein	Shortstop	St. Louis Cardinals	[2]
2006	Craig Biggio †	Second baseman	Houston Astros	[2]
2007	Craig Biggio †(2)	Second baseman	Houston Astros	[2]
2008	Grady Sizemore	Outfielder	Cleveland Indians	[2] [3]
2009	Albert Pujols	First baseman	St. Louis Cardinals	[2]
2010	Roy Halladay †	Pitcher	Philadelphia Phillies	[2]
2011	Torii Hunter	Outfielder	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	[1]
2012	Mike Trout	Outfielder	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	[4]
2013	Dustin Pedroia	Second baseman	Boston Red Sox	[2]
2014	Josh Harrison	Utility player	Pittsburgh Pirates	[5]
2015	Anthony Rizzo	First baseman	Chicago Cubs	[6]
2016	Todd Frazier	Third baseman	Chicago White Sox	[7]
2017	Brett Gardner	Outfielder	New York Yankees	[8]
2018	Mookie Betts	Outfielder	Boston Red Sox	[9]
2019	Howie Kendrick	Infielder	Washington Nationals	[10]
2021	Ozzie Albies	Second baseman	Atlanta Braves	[2]
2022	Paul Goldschmidt	First baseman	St. Louis Cardinals	[2]
2023	Marcus Semien	Shortstop	Texas Rangers	[11]
2024	Bobby Witt Jr.	Shortstop	Kansas City Royals	[2]

Other baseball awards for spirit

• The Hutch Award is for the "active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win".
• Players Choice Awards Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award – given to "the player in either league whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement."
• Players Choice Awards Majestic Athletic Always Game Award
• Lou Gehrig Memorial Award – given to a player who best exemplifies his character and integrity both on and off the field.
• Tony Conigliaro Award – given to a player who best overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.
• The San Francisco Giants have given the Willie Mac Award since 1980 to "the player on the San Francisco Giants who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by Willie McCovey throughout his long career."
• The Oakland Athletics have given the Catfish Hunter Award since 2004 to the "player whose play on the field and conduct in the clubhouse best exemplifies the courageous, competitive and inspirational spirit demonstrated by the late ... pitcher, Jim "Catfish" Hunter."
• The Los Angeles Dodgers have given the Roy Campanella Award since 2006 to the player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of Roy Campanella.

See also

• Baseball portal

• Baseball awards

References

1. "Thome, Mattingly, Kaat honored by MLBPAA | BaseballAlumni.com: News". Archived from the original on January 26, 2012.
2. MLB.com. "Heart and Hustle Award". Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
3. O'Connell, Jack (November 10, 2008). "Seaver honored at Alumni Association dinner Cleveland's Sizemore gets Heart and Hustle Award". MLB.com . Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
4. Newman, Mark (November 13, 2012). "Trout adds Heart and Hustle Award to accolades". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
5. Newman, Mark (November 18, 2014). "Robinson, Boggs, Hurdle, Harrison honored by MLBPAA". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
6. Newman, Mark (November 11, 2015). "Rizzo named Heart and Hustle winner at MLBPAA dinner". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
7. Newman, Mark (November 15, 2016). "Todd Frazier wins Heart & Hustle Award". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
8. Burns, Maria (November 14, 2017). "MLBPAA Announces Brett Gardner as Winner of the 13th Annual Overall Heart and Hustle Award". dailytelescope.com. The Daily Telescope. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
9. Ladson, Bill (November 8, 2018). "Betts honored with overall Heart & Hustle Award". MLB.com . Retrieved August 14, 2019.
10. Gold, Jeff (November 8, 2019). "MLBPAA recognizes Kendrick, La Russa, Damon". MLB.com . Retrieved November 11, 2019.
11. "Semien named Heart & Hustle Award winner". MLB.com .