Hustle 101: It all depends on baseball's unwritten rules

Juan Soto's lack of hustle early this season landed him on the back pages of New York tabloids. "Juan Slo-Mo," read a New York Post headline in May.

Hustle, or at least the appearance of it, has long been valued by coaches, managers, and TV color analysts. So when a player doesn't give his all - when he turns his hustle dial down to "turtle" - it can draw the public's ire, especially when it's a scuffling 26-year-old star who signed the largest contract in MLB history.

But strategically not hustling is a defensible way to mitigate the wear and tear of a long season.

Sure, jogging down the line looks bad. But does a club really want to take the risk, however small, that a player blows out his hamstring while sprinting down the first-base line after hitting an easy grounder that will result in an out 99% of the time?

Maybe jogging down the line isn't exactly incompatible with being a team player who's invested in the group's success.

Consider Mike Trout.

The Los Angeles Angels star has a long injury history. The 33-year-old returned to the team last week from his latest IL stint, which sidelined him for most of May. The Angels accept Trout not giving max effort on every play - even most plays.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Trout understands the risk-reward dynamic of hustle without needing to be reminded.

"When the time comes to be 100% on something, Mike knows when to do that," Washington told theScore. "He knows if he hits a routine ground ball, he's not going to hustle down that line trying to beat it out. You don't have to tell him things like that, especially with the injury he is coming off of. He's cautious.

"I don't want him stealing right now. That doesn't mean he's not going to slide there and try and break up a double play, or go first to third and not slide. That's baseball. That's in him. The things to be cautious with, he will always automatically do that."

What about the case of a non-superstar like Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada? He slashed a ball down the line last week in Cleveland, but he only ended up at first base.

"When I saw him hit the ball, I thought that was a double all the way. But I saw him (running) and, oh Lord, he isn't going to make it to second," Washington said. "I accept it because I put him in the lineup knowing he had that little problem with his leg. Now, if that would have happened and he's all good - we would have a problem."

Washington said his mindset hasn't changed over the years: Less than 100% effort is only acceptable for players with existing physical issues.

"Guys that are not hurt, they are going to be called on, and you have to call on them," Washington said.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith plays the most demanding position in the sport. How does that team talk about the risk-reward hustle spectrum?

"We don't really talk about half-assing it," Smith said. "I think there is a difference between 100% and 90%. You can still give good effort without going max effort. On a routine ground ball to short, if there's a bobble, you can beat it out."

In the Phillies clubhouse in May, I posed the question to a couple of their star players who have dealt with lower-body injuries in their careers.

Slugger Kyle Schwarber has appeared in all 60 of Philadelphia's games entering play Wednesday and at least 150 games in each of the last three full seasons. But playing in that volume of games means he can't always go 100%.

"That's the thing about our game: We play so many of them. If you are playing every day, you have to be smart. You cannot be trucking down the line on every ground ball," said Schwarber, who tore his LCL and ACL in an outfield collision in 2016 and missed time with a hamstring injury in 2021. "There's going to be the times you might look bad - you hit a ground ball to the pitcher, and next thing you know, first baseman has to jump (for an overthrow).

"It bothers players too when those things happen, but in the back of your mind ... you have to try and be smart in terms of: 'This is a ball in the gap, I can get a double right here' versus 'A ground ball to second base, I rolled it over, it might be a little bit better to conserve.' There are times in your head where you have to really balance out."

Of course, part of the issue with Soto in May is that he wasn't running out plays in higher-leverage situations either. Some players get caught breaking out a home-run trot on balls that stay in the field of play.

That's one end of the spectrum. At the other end, it can be tough to temper a baseball player's hustle instinct.

When the oft-injured Royce Lewis stole a base in his first rehab game while coming back from yet another lower-body injury, Twins officials were "horrified," Minnesota Star Tribune writer LaVelle E. Neal III reported last May.

Lewis had been given "a bright red" light on steal attempts, Neal reported. This year, the Twins have asked Lewis to be thoughtful about when to sprint.

Bryce Harper often takes a hair-on-fire approach to his game, but even he's learned when to downshift. The Phillies star has dealt with knee and hamstring issues as well as thumb and elbow injuries.

"Obviously, you want to play hard, but say it's raining outside and you (slip) on first base. It's not conducive to team (success) to do that," Harper said. "I'll never take away hustle from anyone. I want you to hustle, I want you to play hard all the time. But I think there are times where you can pick your spots and understand what you need to do."

Harper does have a minimum hustle requirement on every play: "Always touch first base. That's the biggest thing."

Hustle is a balancing act players have to master not just for themselves, but their team. The strategic jog has its place.

Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.