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News and Rumors
·1 min read

Didi Gregorius named Heart and Hustle nominee for Yankees

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On Tuesday afternoon, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, or MLBPAA, announced its 30 nominees for the 2016 Heart and Hustle Award.

The nominees are voted on prior to the All-Star break by the 30-member committee comprised of Alumni players.  One player from each MLB team is selected as a nominee.  The Heart and Hustle Award the only award in MLB that is voted on by former players.

The Heart and Hustle Award honors active MLB players who demonstrate a passion for the game, and exhibit the traditions, values, and spirit of baseball.

Selected to represent the New York Yankees is 26-year-old shortstop Didi Gregorius.

Gregorius had a bit of a slow start in 2016, but has been on an absolute tear of late.  He will enter play Wednesday night against the Orioles batting .299 with 11 home-runs and 41 RBI.  In the last 28 days, he is hitting .338 with five home-runs and nine RBI.

Defensively he has made some mistakes and does have 12 errors on the season, but the talent is there.  Despite errors, he continues to showcase the type of fielder he is with both routine and highlight plays.

One of his biggest struggles in previous years was hitting against left-handed pitching.  That has not been the case so far this year.  Didi has improved greatly, and in doing so, leads the majors against left-handed pitching as a left-handed hitter, hitting .370 with one home-run and 14 RBI in 81 at-bats.

In his second year in the Bronx, Yankees fans are watching Gregorius in the midst of a breakout season.  It has been incredible and a lot of fun watching this kid come into his own, especially after coming to New York from Arizona as a project player and following Derek Jeter‘s footsteps at short.

The final winner of the 2016 Heart and Hustle Award will be named on November 15 in New York City at the 17th annual Legends for Youth Dinner.