DENVER -- The advice catcher Tony Wolters received from his father carries him to this day, and people noticed -- as evidenced by his being named Tuesday as the Rockies’ 2019 recipient of the MLB Players Alumni Association Heart & Hustle Award.

"When I was a kid, my dad always told me to work hard and have fun,” Wolters said. “This award is that. I passionately love this game, and it's a kid's game we play. This award impacts me more off the field than on the field.

"Baseball's taught me so much. How to get along with people, how to work hard, how to achieve something, how to dream of something, how to love something. Hustle and heart, it's not just on the field for me. It [translates] off the field."

Wolters’ makeup has been one of his strengths since he debuted in the Majors in 2016. This year, Wolters has paired his attributes with production -- he entered Tuesday night’s game against the Giants leading National League catchers in batting average at .288 and was tied for second in the league with 13 runners caught stealing.

“The thing that sticks out about Tony is he’s a player that truly wants to get better, learn, grow, and he’s a tremendous listener -- almost at times to a fault,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “But he’s becoming a very good student, taking all the coaching and putting it into play. I’m very proud of Tony over the last couple of years.”

The MLBPAA formed 30 committees, comprised of alumni players with established relationships to each team. Those committees annually choose one player per team based on passion, desire and work ethic demonstrated both on and off the field. These players will be recognized prior to an upcoming home game.

Toward season’s end, all alumni and active players will vote to select the final winner from the 30 team winners. The previous overall winners are David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012), Dustin Pedroia (2013), Josh Harrison (2014), Anthony Rizzo (2015), Todd Frazier (2016), Brett Gardner (2017) and Mookie Betts (2018).

The winner will be announced Nov. 7 at the 20th Annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City. This event is the primary fundraiser for the series of free Legends for Youth Baseball Clinics. These clinics impact more than 19,000 children each year at 185 clinics, allowing them the opportunity to interact with and learn from players who have left a lasting impact on the game of baseball.