Mariners tab Seager for Heart and Hustle Award

SEATTLE -- All-Star third baseman Kyle Seager was selected Tuesday as the Mariners' nominee for the 2014 Heart and Hustle Award from the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

Seager is thus one of 30 finalists for the award, which was created in 2005 and voted on annually by current and former Major League players. The honor is presented to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of Major League Baseball.

Seager, 26, has been one of the Mariners' most consistent and productive players since his midseason arrival in 2011. The North Carolina native led the club in games played in '12 and '13 and is again tops in that category. He's was in the lineup Tuesday for the 97th time in the Mariners' first 100 games.

Seager was selected as the Mariners Most Valuable Player by the Seattle chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America last year and is having his best season yet this season as he was selected to his first All-Star Game while leading the team in home runs and RBIs.

Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox was the national Heart & Hustle Award winner last year, when Raul Ibanez was the Mariners' nominee. This is Seager's first time being selected for the honor.