Dodgers News: Chris Taylor Named the Heart and Hustle Award Recipient
There are few players that have had more impact on the 2021 Dodgers than Chris Taylor. Given his defensive versatility and talent with the bat, Taylor might be the MVP of the entire team. At the very least, he should get a few NL MVP votes when the season is over.
The injuries that the Dodgers have suffered through this year have only highlighted the importance of Taylor. He has played in 102 of the team’s 107 games in 2021 and played all over the diamond. All told, he has spent time at 6 different positions so far.
Because of his style of play and what he has meant to this team, Taylor is the Dodgers recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award. The award is intended for players who demonstrate passion for the game as well as embodies the spirit and tradition of the game. CT3 is a good pick.
Chris Taylor is the Dodgers’ Heart and Hustle Award recipient, given to the player from each team who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) August 3, 2021
Taylor is slashing .285/.379/.501 this year with 17 homeruns and 60 runs driven in. He was an All-Star for the first time in his career and is on pace to break all of his personal best with the bat. And he’s doing all of this in a contract season.
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Taylor is making $7.8 million in 2021 and is expected to land a big contract entering the next year. Dodgers fans are just hoping at this point that he chooses to stay in Los Angeles because his style of play has carried them in 2021.
Congrats, Chris!
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This man is the reason for more wins and stepping up to fill what could have been a disaster’s. Pollock too
Absolutely. Now that everyone is, slowly but surely, returning from IL and we have new additions, I am so glad that Chris Taylor is formally recognized for what essentially amounts to “carrying” our team. He has been invaluable: reliable, consistent and clutch. We definitely would not still be “in the running” but for him and a few others (e.g., AJ and JT) who have more than carried their weight and then some.
Absolutely well deserved for a blue-collared player that comes to work everyday w/ no complaints and goes beyond the call. Yes w/ all the injuries sustained this year, the Dodgers would not be where there are w/ out CT3 playing all those positions @ all-star caliber. Wow, played in 102 out of 107, where’s his day off? We need 25 other players like him.