Beltre recognized for grit by Rangers alumni

NEW YORK -- Third baseman Adrian Beltre has been selected as the Rangers' winner of the 2014 Heart and Hustle Award. The award is selected by a committee of former Rangers, and it honors players who demonstrate a passion for baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game.

"It means a lot," Beltre said. "For the alumni to pick you, it truly is special and humbling. Obviously, we know that things haven't been going our way, but I still have a job to prepare for every day. Sometimes it's not enough, but I can still look at myself in the mirror and know I gave it everything I could that day."

Beltre went into Tuesday's game hitting .328, third best in the American League, with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs.

"It's a tough situation, but you still have to go out and give everything you've got," Beltre said. "You don't want to remember what has happened the last seven weeks. Nobody is happy with the way we've played. It was good to have time off [at the All-Star break] to refresh your mind and do better in the second half. So far, it has been a little better, but we still have a lot more improvement needed."