COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) is pleased to announce the 30 preliminary winners of the 2014 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 David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012) and Dustin Pedroia (2013).
The final winner will be announced Nov. 18, 2014, at the 15th 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 at 110 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:
American League
Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones
Boston Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia
Chicago White Sox: Adam Eaton
Cleveland Indians: Michael Brantley
Detroit Tigers: Don Kelly
Houston Astros: Jose Altuve
Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Mike Trout
Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier
New York Yankees: Brett Gardner
Oakland Athletics: Josh Donaldson
Seattle Mariners: Kyle Seager
Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Kiermaier
Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre
Toronto Blue Jays: Mark Buehrle
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt
Atlanta Braves: Jason Heyward
Chicago Cubs: Nate Schierholtz
Cincinnati Reds: Skip Schumaker
Colorado Rockies: Corey Dickerson
Los Angeles Dodgers: Dee Gordon
Miami Marlins: Christian Yelich
Milwaukee Brewers: Jonathan Lucroy
New York Mets: Daniel Murphy
Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley
Pittsburgh Pirates: Josh Harrison
San Diego Padres: Tyson Ross
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.