The Heart and Hustle award is voted on former players, and is given out for dedication, passion, and work ethic both on the field, and in their communities. It's a two step process as team winners are named first, before an overall winner is chosen from those nominees.

The Nationals organization has long been known for their emphasis on character in their evaluation of a player, and former Nats hold two of the 17 awards given out, as Josh Harrison won in 2014, and Howie Kendrick took home the honors after the 2019 campaign. Speaking of former Nats, this year things are complicated as our nominee is Josh Bell (the Padres' nominee remains Jake Cronenworth)