Gordon earns Royals' Heart and Hustle Award

KANSAS CITY -- All-Star outfielder Alex Gordon has been named the Royals' recipient of Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association's Heart and Hustle Award for 2015.

The award honors active players who display passion for the game and carry out the values, spirit and tradition of the team.

The award is the only one voted on by former players.

"The professionalism, dedication and sacrifice he demonstrates on a daily basis represents the way baseball should be played and how the Kansas City Royals expect to be represented," Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu said.

One player is chosen from each MLB team and an overall winner will be announced on Nov. 10 at the 16th 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.

Previous winners were: 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) and Josh Harrison (2014).