Mauricio Dubón named Braves’ 2026 Heart & Hustle Award recipient

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 17: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves looks on in the fifth inning during the continuation of a game from June 16 against the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park on June 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images Congratul

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Congratulations to Mauricio Dubón, who has been named as this year’s recipient of the MLBPAA’s Heart & Hustle Award for the Atlanta Braves.

More on the award from MLB:

Now in its 21st year, this prestigious honor is presented annually to active players

who exemplify a true passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. The Heart and Hustle Award is the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players. Voting for team winners is conducted prior to the All-Star break.

To determine the winners, 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. At the conclusion of the season, all alumni members and fans will vote to select the final winner from the 30 team winners. The previous overall recipients include: 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), Ozzie Albies (2021), Paul Goldschmidt (2022), Marcus Semien (2023) and Bobby Witt Jr. (2024, 2025).

The 2026 overall Heart and Hustle Award winner will be announced in mid-November on MLB Network.

If heart and hustle doesn’t perfectly describe Dubón’s performance with the Braves this season, I don’t know what else does. Remember when he left eye black on the wall in Colorado? Atlanta traded for him in the offseason with Houston for an infielder swap for Nick Allen, intending for him to be a utilityman and valuable bench piece. Instead, injuries and underperformance paved the way for Dubón to become a nearly-everyday player, covering multiple infield and outfield positions while being a two-strike/two-out RBI machine. Off the field, he’s been hailed as a “glue guy” in the clubhouse and and a tone-setter for the team. Congratulations again, Dubie!