Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez wins his first award in 2018

Jose Ramirez was selected as the Heart and Hustle Award winner for the Cleveland Indians in 2018. Watching him once shows why he was chosen.

There is a common practice among baseball fans to constantly point out that no one is paying attention to Mike Trout‘s greatness. Cleveland Indians fans would like to make a case for why the same is true for Jose Ramirez.

Ramirez is putting up MVP numbers for the second straight season in only his third full season with the Indians. He already has 30 home runs, 72 RBIs, 27 doubles, 20 stolen bases and an OPS of 1.037.

And while he dominates on the field, he also does it the right way. That is why he was chosen for his first of what will hopefully be many awards in 2018.

https://twitter.com/Indians/status/1021741796106285058

Each team has a Heart and Hustle Award winner and a further explanation of how a player is chosen is shared in this MLB.com article:

"This esteemed award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. The Heart & Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players. Voting is conducted prior to the All-Star Break."

Watch one Indians game and it is clear to see why Ramirez was chosen for this honor. He plays his hardest every single time he steps on the field and is never involved in any drama or off-the-field problems. He has fun playing the game and is a rising star in this league. Let’s just hope Rob Manfred doesn’t come out and throw shade toward Ramirez too.

The other contender for this award is Francisco Lindor, but it is essentially a coin toss between him and Ramirez at this point. Both players are in the MVP race and form the best infield duo in all of baseball. They are also a much better duo than Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and it isn’t even close.

Next: A short look back at Monday’s rain-shortened loss

Ramirez now has one award to his name after being named a starter in the All-Star Game. I don’t think this will be the last of his awards this season.