Meet and greet with Springer part of charity auction

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Astros are auctioning off a meet and greet with outfielder George Springer as part of a charity initiative in which Major League Baseball, MLB Advanced Media, MLB Network and all 30 teams participate.

This auction initiative has raised nearly $500,000 since its inception four years ago, and a significant portion of the proceeds from this year's event will go to Stand Up To Cancer, a longtime partner of Major League Baseball, its founding donor in 2008. In addition, this year's auction will benefit "Do It For Durrett," in honor of the late Rangers ESPN.com reporter Richard Durrett, who passed away suddenly last year, and the YouCaring page established for Miami Marlins Sun Sentinel beat writer Juan C. Rodriguez, who is currently battling a brain tumor.

The auction is live on MLB.com until 8 p.m. CT Thursday.

Springer hit .276 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs last season in a career-high 102 games, finishing fifth among American League outfielders in on-base percentage (.367) and eighth in OPS (.826). Springer's 36 homers within his first 180 career games are a club record.