Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
The title speaks for itself -- the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.
The MLBPAA is made up only of men who played Major League baseball. Some were in the game for a cameo. Others played for more than two decades. But every member of the elite MLBPAA played the game.
Veterans.
And if I know anything about veterans, it is that they value experience. One or two good seasons doesn’t give you much credibility with veteran ballplayers. What have you done over a decade? Baseball is a game of accumulated performance.
Which is why I took notice several days ago when the MLBPAA named rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. the Padres winner of the Heart and Hustle Award for 2019 . . . even though the 20-year-old’s season was limited to 84 games.
The MLBPAA had a lot of candidates, including veteran leaders like Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer.
But they opted for Tatis.
And they got it right. So right.
The way Tatis plays the game is the embodiment of what the Heart and Hustle Award is all about. Tatis saw no ball being out of his reach on defense, no base being unreachable on offense. He was a rally every time he stepped into the batter’s box, a highlight video anytime a ball was hit in his general direction.
And the numbers prove it. Tatis slashed .317/.379.590 with a .969 OPS. He had 13 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs, 16 stolen bases, 53 RBIs and 61 runs scored in 334 at-bats.
But the essence of how Tatis plays the game -- sometimes to his detriment, as we’ve learned -- is the blueprint for the Heart and Hustle Award.
Again, the MLBPAA got it right . . . so right.
NOTEBOOK:
• RHP Javy Guerra has made five straight scoreless appearances since giving up four runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning in his Major League debut on Sept. 2. The converted shortstop, who was once ranked as the Padres’ No. 1 prospect as an infielder, has allowed a hit and three walks with one strikeout in each appearance. With six straight scoreless innings, he has cut his earned-run average from 54.00 to 5.40.
• RHP Cal Quantrill will not appear again in 2019, meaning he went out on a high note. After giving up 28 runs in 16 2/3 innings in his previous four starts, Quantrill held Arizona to one run on two hits with no walks and six strikeouts in five innings on Saturday night.
• RHP Craig Stammen, who led the Padres in 2018 with 73 appearances, appeared in his career-high 74th appearance on Sunday. He has allowed one run over his last seven appearances to lower his ERA to 3.38.
• 2B Greg Garcia didn’t play Tuesday and has a five-game hitting streak -- 5-for-15 with a double.