Jose Abreu has garnered some well-deserved recognition for his dedication to the White Sox on and off the field. Today, the club announced he was selected as the White Sox winner for the 2022 Heart & Hustle Award. This is his first selection.
The Heart & Hustle Award is presented annually to a player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game. The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) created the Heart & Hustle Award in 2005. It is voted on by former players and presented annually to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.
One player from each Major League team is chosen by the committees based on their passion, desire, and work ethic both on and off the field. When the regular season ends, all alumni and active players will vote to select the final winner from the 30 team-specific winners.
Although there has always been one team nominee in every season, since 2017, Major League Baseball has referred to each of these nominees as “winners” in their own right, with a final all-around winner still announced once voting takes place after the season.
Abreu now joins a select group of White Sox players who have been nominated for this award:
- 2006: Jim Thome
- 2007: Jim Thome
- 2008: Joe Crede
- 2009: Mark Buehrle
- 2010: A.J. Pierzynski
- 2011: Juan Pierre
- 2012: Alex Rios
- 2013: Alex Rios
- 2014: Adam Eaton
- 2015: Geovany Soto
- 2016: Todd Frazier
- 2017: Avisail Garcia
- 2018: Yolmer Sanchez
- 2019: James McCann
- 2020: No Nominee (COVID)
- 2021: Tim Anderson
In 2016, Todd Frazier was named the overall winner of the Heart and Hustle Award, the only time a White Sox player has been named the overall winner since its inception.
At the end of the day, this is just more deserving hardware for a man who has put himself on the line nearly every day for the White Sox since joining the team. He truly embodies some of the best qualities that the White Sox organization has to offer while continuing to produce on the field.
Congratulations, Pito.
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Featured Image: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
What took them this long?!? Well-deserved, long overdue IMHO…LOVE Pito!