MLBPAA announces Heart and Hustle Award nominees
The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association revealed the 30 team winners of the 2015 Heart and Hustle Award on Tuesday.
The award was created in 2005 as a way to honor active players who "demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game." Each year before the All-Star break, the MLBPAA forms 30 committees filled with former players from each team. These committees help nominate a player from each of the 30 clubs.
The players nominated will be recognized prior to an upcoming home game in honor of their passion, desire and work ethic, as demonstrated both on and off the field.
Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association
The final winner will be announced on Nov. 10 at the 16th Annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City. Previous winners of the award include Josh Harrison (2014), Mike Trout ('12), Roy Halladay ('10), Albert Pujols ('09) and David Eckstein ('05), among others.
Here are this year's preliminary winners:
American League East
Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones
Boston Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia
New York Yankees: Brett Gardner
Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Kiermaier
Toronto Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson
AL Central
Chicago White Sox: Geovany Soto
Cleveland Indians: Jason Kipnis
Detroit Tigers: James McCann
Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon
Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier
AL West
Houston Astros: George Springer
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Mike Trout
Oakland Athletics: Stephen Vogt
Seattle Mariners: Kyle Seager
Texas Rangers: Prince Fielder
National League East
Atlanta Braves: Andrelton Simmons
Miami Marlins: Dee Gordon
New York Mets: Curtis Granderson
Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley
Washington Nationals: Ian Desmond
NL Central
Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo
Cincinnati Reds: Todd Frazier
Milwaukee Brewers: Jonathan Lucroy
Pittsburgh Pirates: Tony Watson
St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt
Colorado Rockies: DJ LeMahieu
Los Angeles Dodgers: Joc Pederson
San Diego Padres: Derek Norris
San Francisco Giants: Brandon Crawford