Ryan Roberts is well known for his hardworking attitude and his gritty play on the baseball diamond. The 30-year old veteran is finally seeing the fruit of his labor, earning a starting job for the first time in his career as the Diamondbacks' everyday third basemen.
The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) took notice as well, and on Friday revealed that Roberts had won the D-backs' Heart and Hustle Award, awarded to a player on every MLB team that "demonstrate[s] a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit, and tradition of the game," according to the press release.
More from the release:
As the season draws to a close, all Alumni and active players will vote to select the winner from the 30 team winners... The final winner will be announced Thursday, November 3, 2011.
Roberts will be honored in a pre-game presentation tonight before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix.