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Blue Jays 2015 Year End Awards: Best Hustle

By Ryan Andrews |
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Hustle has long been a vital part of the game. It’s what endeared Pete Rose to a generation of fans long before he was better known for making MLB executives angry for being ahead of the daily fantasy curve. For the first time in years, the Toronto Blue Jays squad showed signs of having that desire.

Going out onto the field and not holding back, sacrificing their bodies to make the kind of plays that winning teams make. Or at least trying to make those plays. Sorry, Dalton Pompey.

There were a tone set by certain members of the team that was contagious. It inspired squadmates to give it their all alongside them. The Best Hustle award celebrates the players whose efforts pushed the team to do better, even if success might have been just out of reach.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Goins

Ryan Goins has earned a lot of praise in the year-end awards already for the growth shown in his offensive production. A seventy point jump in the batting average is nothing to sneeze at. It has always been his defense though that was his most attractive feature as a ballplayer, and that’s what gets him the shout out here.

As Ryan Mueller opined when submitting his vote, “He never gives up on a play in the hole.” Mueller also pointed out that he was able to do this while subbing in for both Jose Reyes at short as well as Devon Travis at second base. That versatility and ready-to-play attitude will be necessary in 2016, especially with Travis undergoing the knife yet again. While his most famous run in the outfield may have resulted in tragedy, more often than not it results in Goins making a tough catch to help the Blue Jays out of a tough spot.

Next: Runner-Up: The Reason There Is An MVP Candidate in Toronto

Runner-Up: Josh Donaldson

Josh Donaldson’s exploits this season have been well documented over the course of the awards week so far. His defense ranges from solid to “How did he end up in the second row?” His bat kept the team alive during its early struggles long enough for the reinforcements to arrive.

Blue Jays fans await the announcement of the American League MVP tonight with bated breath knowing that one of their own could be justly rewarded for a Hall-of-Fame level season.

Donaldson played both baseball and football growing up along the Gulf of Mexico. He brings that kind of hard-charging mentality onto the field with plays like the diving catch in Tampa and the unique slide around Yan Gomes pictured above. If Donaldson maintains his trademark aggression at the plate and on the field, a repeat performance is not out of the question.

Next: 2015 Best Hustle: The Reason We Know Spiderman Lives in Canada

2015 Best Hustle Winner: Kevin Pillar

Perhaps this article is proof that hustle and improvement go hand in hand. Pillar won the earlier J.J. YEA for similar reasons to his teammate Goins; his bat improved to the point where it complimented his true strength on defense. Pillar always had the drive to go after every ball like he could catch it, and he caught almost every single one:

By this point it should get harder to find clips of Pillar covering ranges beyond the grasp of mere mortals, yet he has his own personal highlight reel full. YouTube user Bryce Nickerson compiled almost six minutes worth and still probably left others on the cutting room floor.

In response to the Play of the Year award, Jays Journal reader “Jeff” wondered how Pillar’s Spiderman catch against Tampa Bay failed to make the cut. Perhaps it’s because it did not seem like an extraordinary play for Pillar? It’s almost become automatic to think that Pillar will be able to track down any ball in center field. He’s that good. He’s that driven. He’s got the competitive fire and the legs to make it to almost any ball he chooses.

That’s why the Jays Journal writing staff saw fit to bestow upon Pillar his second J.J. YEA. I’m sure he’ll be upset he doesn’t have more.

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