The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association on Friday announced the 30 Heart and Hustle Award winners, a player from each team who “exemplify a true passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”
Voted on exclusively by former MLB players, the Dodgers Heart and Hustle Award winner this year is infielder Miguel Rojas. The 13-year veteran who plans to retire at the conclusion of the season and move into a role in the Dodgers’ front office is hitting
.268/.326/406 with a 100 wRC+ in 180 plate appearances this season, including .324/.366/.490 with a 135 wRC+ against left-handed pitching.
The longtime shortstop this season has started 22 games at second base, 15 more at shortstop, and twice at third base. This is the third career Heart and Hustle Award for Rojas, who also was honored in 2019 and 2021 with the Miami Marlins.
Links
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto leads the majors averaging 6.63 innings per start, but David Adler at MLB.com notes how Yamamoto is the only one of the top 10 starters by run value to not throw a fastball as his most frequent pitch. Yamamoto through Saturday has thrown his devastating splitter 27.1 percent of the time this season, compared to 26.6 percent for his four-seam fastball.
- Will Klein last Saturday was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic over the weekend reported Klein has bone chips in the elbow, and surgery is among the options behind considered.
- Bradford William Davis at his eyeblack newsletter talked with an MLB compliance staffer who contradicted the league’s party line regarding how baseballs are inspected.
