If ever there was an award meant for a specific player, this has got to be the one.
Marcus Semien was named the 2023 Heart & Hustle Award winner on Friday after helping lead the Texas Rangers to their first World Series championship.
Semien is the first Rangers player to receive the honor, which was created by the MLB Players Alumni Association in 2005. The annual award is given to players "who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game," according to MLBPAA.
Voters for the award include alumni and active players.
Semien set an MLB record with 835 plate appearances in a single season (including the postseason). He started all 179 games in 2023, including 17 playoff games, as the Rangers' leadoff hitter.
Semien finished third in American League MVP voting and earned a Silver Slugger Award after leading the A.L. with 185 hits and 122 runs scored, along with 29 home runs, 40 doubles, and 100 RBI.
After struggling at the plate in the first couple of playoff rounds, Semien heated up, had hits in Texas' final seven postseason games and hit a game-breaking three-run homer in the ninth inning to seal the World Series title in Game 5 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Semien Family donated to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation to provide meals to Youth Academy families through the non-profit organization Food for the Soul over the summer. The 10-week program helped distribute more than 1,500 boxes of fresh produce and non-perishables to families in need.
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