Didi Gregorius Wins Yankees’ Heart and Hustle Award

New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius continues his fantastic 2016 campaign, this time, though, shining off the field of play.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) announced one player from each MLB team to receive the prestigious Heart and Hustle Award.

The man representing the Yankees is none other than 26-year-old shortstop, Didi Gregorius.

Gregorius has arguably had the most impressive 2016 season to date of any Yankees player. His .296 BA is second on the team behind only Carlos Beltran; while his 11 home runs, 41 RBI, and .466 OBP currently have him in the running for the American League’s Most Improved Player Award.

The Heart and Hustle Award is the only one of its kind to be voted on by former professional players and is given annually to a current big leaguer who best demonstrates a pure love of the game while embodying the spirit, values, and overall traditions that continue to make baseball so great.

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Voted on before the All-Star break, 30 committee members initially select one player from each MLB team. Then towards the conclusion of the regular season, the MLBPAA, alongside current MLB players, narrows down the 30 preliminary choices to one overall winner.

The overall winner will be named on November 15 in New York City, in conjunction with 17th annual Legends for Youth Dinner. Last year’s winner was Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs.

The 30 semifinalists and winners from their respective clubs are:

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt
Atlanta Braves: Nick Markakis
Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo
Cincinnati Reds: Zack Cozart
Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon
Los Angeles Dodgers: Chase Utley
Miami Marlins: Marcell Ozuna
Milwaukee Brewers: Jonathan Lucroy
New York Mets: Curtis Granderson
Philadelphia Phillies: Andres Blanco
Pittsburgh Pirates: David Freese
San Diego Padres: Jon Jay
San Francisco Giants: Brandon Crawford
St. Louis Cardinals: Stephen Piscotty
Washington Nationals: Daniel Murphy

Next: Yankees Lack a Face of the Franchise Type Player

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones
Boston Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia
Chicago White Sox: Todd Frazier
Cleveland Indians: Mike Napoli
Detroit Tigers: Ian Kinsler
Houston Astros: George Springer
Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Kole Calhoun
Minnesota Twins: Eduardo Nunez
New York Yankees: Didi Gregorius
Oakland Athletics: Marcus Semien
Seattle Mariners: Nelson Cruz
Tampa Bay Rays: Logan Forsythe
Texas Rangers: Ian Desmond
Toronto Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar