On Friday morning, Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. was selected the 2024 recipient of the Heart & Hustle Award, just one day after coming second in the American League MVP voting.
The award, established by the MLB Players Alumni Association in 2005, is given yearly to an active player who “demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.” The alumni committee selects one nominee from each team, and the winner is decided by a vote of fans, alumni, and active players.
“Hey guys, it’s truly an honour to receive the Heart and Hustle Award,” Witt told MLB Network in a pre-recorded greeting. “I’d like to thank my coaches, teammates, fans, family, and friends. Everyone that participated in this season. This honour means so much to me because it was voted on by the players and alumni.
Witt is the first Royals player to win the Heart & Hustle Award, having previously been nominated by Kansas City in 2022 and ’23.
This is Witt’s latest honour, following his first career Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards earlier this offseason. Witt won the MLB batting title this season with a.332 average, setting career highs in home runs (32), RBIs (109), doubles (45), OPS (.977), and bWAR (9.4). •
Witt also stole 31 bases, completing his second consecutive 30-30 season. He is the first shortstop to have multiple 30-30 seasons, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. and José Ramírez as the only active players with this distinction. Witt is also the only player in AL/NL history to have had multiple such seasons before reaching the age of 25.
The Royals gather around their shortstop, who helped them reach new heights this year by making the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015.
Witt has also adopted the Kansas City community as his home after signing an 11-year deal with the Royals last summer.
Witt hosted a youth baseball clinic in July, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Answering the Call (ATC), a non-profit organisation that assists first responders after severe injury or illness, on behalf of Sarah Nauser, a retired police officer battling ALS and a die-hard Royals fan.
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