Pete Alonso has been named the Baltimore Orioles' 2026 Heart and Hustle Award winner, the team announced on social media Saturday, marking a bright spot in an otherwise up-and-down debut season for the veteran first baseman since his blockbuster free-agent signing this past offseason, according to roundtable.io.
The Orioles handed Alonso a five-year, 155 million dollar contract over the winter, one of the largest deals in franchise history and a rare instance of Baltimore landing a top-tier free agent. The front office viewed Alonso, a former National League Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger and five-time All-Star, as both a middle-of-the-order bat and a steadying veteran presence for a young clubhouse still finding its footing, roundtable.io reported.
On the field, Alonso has delivered largely as advertised, even as the Orioles have struggled to climb above the .500 mark for most of the season. Through 117 games and 438 at-bats, the 31-year-old right-handed slugger is hitting .247 with a .340 on-base percentage, a .794 OPS, 23 home runs and 71 RBIs, per roundtable.io. He has also been a model of durability, appearing in every one of Baltimore's games this season after working through a slow start.
The Heart and Hustle Award recognizes the kind of intangible contributions that do not always show up in a box score, and Alonso's selection continues a pattern established during his years with the New York Mets, where he also won the honor in 2025. That consistency, roundtable.io noted, reflects a standard of professionalism that has traveled with him regardless of uniform.
Alonso's leadership has taken on added significance in Baltimore following a series of moves at this year's trade deadline that reshaped the roster. The most notable was the departure of catcher Adley Rutschman, long considered the face of the Orioles franchise, who was sent to the Boston Red Sox. With several familiar faces gone, the Orioles have leaned on Alonso to help stabilize a young roster, and his continued production and clubhouse presence have been described as invaluable during the transition.
Alonso is signed through four more seasons after this one, meaning he will remain a central figure in Baltimore's rebuild even if the Orioles miss the playoffs again this year, an outcome roundtable.io described as increasingly likely. The organization still has a core of young talent it hopes can develop around him, with the expectation that a competitive turnaround is not out of reach given his production in the middle of the lineup.
Meanwhile, the player traded away in the deal that reshaped Alonso's clubhouse has been working his way back onto the field. Rutschman made his organizational debut with the Red Sox on Saturday, appearing in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester as he continues recovering from left wrist inflammation that has sidelined him since July 20, according to the Boston Globe. Rutschman went 1 for 2 with two RBIs and two walks in four plate appearances, caught five innings and recorded a caught-stealing in Worcester's 19-0 win over Lehigh Valley.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Rutschman is scheduled to serve as Worcester's designated hitter Sunday, after which the club will decide whether he is ready to join Boston for its series in Toronto starting Monday, the Boston Globe reported. Rutschman, who hit .251 with eight home runs and a .764 OPS in 67 games for the Orioles this season before the trade, told the Globe it felt great to be back on the field.
