A committee of former major-league players has chosen Ryan Doumit as the Twins' winner of the Heart and Hustle Award, an honor bestowed by the MLB Players Association that "honors players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game."
One player is selected from each team, and MLBPA members and fans will combine to choose a national winner, which is announced after the season.
Doumit will be presented with the award before the start of Thursday afternoon's game with the Royals. Twins coach Terry Steinbach will present the Twins' catcher and outfielder with the honor.
Previous Twins honorees include Jamey Carroll (2012), Michael Cuddyer (2011), Nick Punto (2010) and Joe Mauer (2009). Doumit, a catcher in his second season with the Twins, is batting .242 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs, and recently began playing the outfield when the Twins experienced a shortage of players at the position.
