The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) is pleased to announce the 30 preliminary winners of the 2022 Heart and Hustle Award. This esteemed award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. The Heart and Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players. Voting is conducted prior to the All-Star break.
The MLBPAA formed 30 committees, comprised of Alumni players with established relationships to each team. One player from each Major League team is chosen by the committees based on their passion, desire and work ethic demonstrated both on and off the field. As the season draws to a close, 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), Mookie Betts (2018), Howie Kendrick (2019) and Ozzie Albies (2021). No award was presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The overall winner will be announced in mid-November on MLB Network.
Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays
Boston Red Sox: Rafael Devers
Chicago White Sox: José Abreu
Cleveland Guardians: José Ramírez
Detroit Tigers: Eric Haase
Houston Astros: Jose Altuve
Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr.
Los Angeles Angels: Jared Walsh
Minnesota Twins: Luis Arraez
New York Yankees: Jose Trevino
Oakland Athletics: Chad Pinder
Seattle Mariners: Eugenio Suárez
Tampa Bay Rays: Manuel Margot
Texas Rangers: Adolis García
Toronto Blue Jays: Matt Chapman
Arizona Diamondbacks: Daulton Varsho
Atlanta Braves: Dansby Swanson
Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras
Cincinnati Reds: Kyle Farmer
Colorado Rockies: Connor Joe
Los Angeles Dodgers: Trea Turner
Miami Marlins: Jon Berti
Milwaukee Brewers: Jace Peterson
New York Mets: Brandon Nimmo
Philadelphia Phillies: Rhys Hoskins
Pittsburgh Pirates: Bryan Reynolds
San Diego Padres: Jake Cronenworth
San Francisco Giants: Wilmer Flores
St. Louis Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt
Washington Nationals: Josh Bell*
*Josh Bell remains the Washington Nationals’ nominee despite being acquired by a different team after the committee voting was finalized.
To learn more about the MLBPAA, please visit www.baseballalumni.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@MLBPAA). The official hashtag for this award is #HeartandHustle.