Realmuto tapped for Heart and Hustle Award.

“J.T. is the heart and soul of the Marlins team.” Mike Pagliarulo, hitting coach

Before Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, catcher J.T. Realmuto was named the Miami Marlins’ 2018 recipient of the MLB Players Alumni Association’s Heart and Hustle Award.

The award is given to the member of each team that best demonstrates “a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”

Realmuto was the Marlins’ only All-Star this season, and he leads Miami in batting average, OPS, adjusted-OPS and WAR. It would be hard to argue that the 27-year-old isn’t the current face of the franchise, and this most recent award may be further proof of that.

“J.T. is the heart and soul of the Marlins team,” said Marlins hitting coach and former MLB third baseman Mike Pagliarulo. “He represents how a Marlin should play the game.”

Voting for the Heart and Hustle Award is done by 30 committees formed by MLBPAA of alumni players with “established relationships to each team.” From there, one player from each team is selected for the award.

Eventually, after a vote from fans, former players and current players, one of the 30 recipients of the Heart and Hustle Award will be chosen as the league-wide, final winner, and they will be honored at the 19th Annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City on November 8.

Past final winners include Craig Biggio, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Dustin Pedroia, Anthony Rizzo, Todd Frazier and Brett Gardner, who won it last season.