For the second consecutive season, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. took home the Heart & Hustle Award. The award, given by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, was announced on Thursday afternoon.
Witt, 25, has a whole lot of awards on his mantle already, as he’s a two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner (plus a Platinum Glove), two-time Silver Slugger, and a top five MVP finisher each of the last two seasons.
The Royals’ finalist for each of his first four MLB seasons, Witt is now just the second player to win the award twice, joining Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, who also went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007 with the Astros.
“It’s truly an honor. It’s one of my favorite honors to be able to receive just because the players vote on it,” Witt said Thursday on MLB Network. “I just always want to play the game as hard as I can. It was instilled in me by my dad, so I’m just truly honored and blessed. I’m going to keep trying to play hard every day.”
Created by the MLBPAA in 2005, the Heart & Hustle Award is voted on by alumni and active MLB players, given to a player “who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.”
Each team has one finalist for the award, with the Brewers’ Sal Frelick named a finalist this season. Previous finalists from the Brewers include Willy Adames (2021 and 2024), Christian Yelich (2018 and 2023), Jace Peterson (2022), and Lorenzo Cain (2019). No Brewer has ever won the award, which dates back to 2005.