
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) is pleased to announce the 30 preliminary winners of the 2018 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 traditions of the game. The Heart & Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players. Voting is conducted prior to the 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) and Brett Gardner (2017).
The overall winner will be announced Nov. 8, 2018, at the 19th 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 18,000 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:
- Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones
- Boston Red Sox: Mookie Betts
- Chicago White Sox: Yolmer Sánchez
- Cleveland Indians: José Ramírez
- Detroit Tigers: JaCoby Jones
- Houston Astros: Alex Bregman
- Kansas City Royals: Salvador Pérez
- Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout
- Minnesota Twins: Eduardo Escobar
- New York Yankees: Austin Romine
- Oakland Athletics: Matt Chapman
- Seattle Mariners: Guillermo Heredia
- Tampa Bay Rays: Joey Wendle
- Texas Rangers: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- Toronto Blue Jays: Curtis Granderson
- Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt
- Atlanta Braves: Nick Markakis
- Chicago Cubs: Javier Báez
- Cincinnati Reds: Scooter Gennett
- Colorado Rockies: Trevor Story
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Matt Kemp
- Miami Marlins: J.T. Realmuto
- Milwaukee Brewers: Christian Yelich
- New York Mets: Brandon Nimmo
- Philadelphia Phillies: César Hernández
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Corey Dickerson
- San Diego Padres: José Pirela
- San Francisco Giants: Brandon Crawford
- St. Louis Cardinals: Harrison Bader
- Washington Nationals: Trea Turner
To learn more about the MLBPAA, please visit www.baseballalumni.com