Vogt wins A's Heart and Hustle Award

OAKLAND -- When Stephen Vogt was young, his father taught him to run out every ball hard. Rising up the ranks of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, he said he had to run hard or he got pulled.

Playing hard is the only way he knows how. His energy, zest for baseball and newfound professional success have earned him the Oakland A's Heart and Hustle Award for 2015.

The award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game.

Former players vote on the award, and the overall winner will be announced Nov. 10 at the 16th Annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City.

"I think that's great," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "It's definitely a guy who when you think of heart and hustle you think of Stephen Vogt."

Vogt prides himself on being a team guy, but he said he's humbled to win the award.

He said he'd rather win an individual award based on character rather than on personal accolades or performance.

"That's also because I'll probably never win one of those performance awards," he joked.

Vogt said he's always tried to play the game the right way by controlling his effort and attitude. He tries to respect the game as much as he can, and feels fortunate to be thriving at the Major League level after a long, up-and-down Minor League career.

He said having people recognize him for playing hard is the highest honor one can have.

"We've had several guys here over the last couple of years that deserve it, no more than Stephen today," Melvin said.