Witt wins '24 Heart & Hustle Award: 'Truly an honor'
Anne Rogers
@anne__rogers
Paul Casella
@paul_casellaMLBOne day after finishing as the runner-up for the American League MVP Award, Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. was named the 2024 recipient of the Heart & Hustle Award on Friday morning.
The honor, created by the MLB Players Alumni Association in 2005, is given annually to an active player who "demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game." The alumni committee selects one nominee from each team before the winner is determined by a vote amongst fans, alumni and active players.
¡°Hey guys, it¡¯s truly an honor to receive the Heart and Hustle Award,¡± Witt said on MLB Network in a pre-recorded message. ¡°I just want to thank all my coaches, my teammates, the fans, my family and friends. Everyone who was involved in this season. This award means a lot to me just because it was voted on by the players and the alumni, and I¡¯m just very thankful for everyone who voted for me. It¡¯s truly an honor. Thank you.¡±
Witt, who was also Kansas City's nominee in 2022 and '23, is the first Royals player to win the Heart & Hustle Award.
This is just the latest honor for the 24-year-old Witt, who won his first career Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards earlier this offseason. Witt won the MLB batting title this season with a .332 average while posting career highs in home runs (32), RBIs (109), doubles (45), OPS (.977) and bWAR (9.4).
Witt also swiped 31 bases on his way to recording his second straight 30-30 season. He is one of just three active players with multiple 30-30 seasons, along with Ronald Acu?a Jr. and Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez -- and is the first shortstop to do so. Witt is also the only player in AL/NL history with multiple such campaigns before his age-25 season.
On the field through his talent and production, as well as off the field through his work ethic and competitiveness, Witt has established himself as one of the Royals¡¯ leaders alongside captain Salvador Perez, who often states that Witt is the best player he¡¯s ever played with.
The Royals rally around their shortstop, who took them to new heights this year by making the postseason for the first time since their 2015 World Series title.
Witt has also embraced the Kansas City community as his home following the 11-year extension he signed with the Royals last offseason. This past July, Witt hosted a youth baseball clinic with 100% of the proceeds going to Answering the Call (ATC), a non-profit organization that supports first responders after severe injury or illness, on behalf of Sarah Nauser, a retired police officer battling ALS and one of the Royals¡¯ biggest fans.