New York Yankees: 5 times Brett Gardner showed us Heart and Hustle
By Derek Dueker
New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner earned the Heart and Hustle award.
New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner is the elder statesman among the clubhouse but rarely gets the spotlight his teammates do.
Gardner snagged the Heart and Hustle Award, hardware given to the player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit, and tradition of the game. The Heart and Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players.
Coincidentally, teammate and third-baseman Todd Frazier won the award last year when he was with the White Sox.
A third-round pick by New York in 2005, has played more games than all of the position players drafted from the span of 1993-2008 as reported by the Post’s Joel Sherman.
No matter how much longer he continues to plow ahead for the Yanks, Gardner says he’ll continue to play the only way he knows how.
"“I’m going to continue to work hard and play hard and play the game as long as I’m able to, whether it’s one more year, two more years or four or five more years, I’ve been blessed with being in New York the last 10 years. I think everybody who knows me knows I will keep working hard to get the most out of it that I can.”"
Gardner is among the top-40 categories for the Yankees in steals, walks, runs, triples, Wins-Above-Replacement, plate appearances, and games played. All the while being rumored to be traded year after year.
A quick Google search is all you need to find a resume worthy of better treatment. So, uh, let me do that for you.