New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson was voted the winner of the 2016 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. It’s presented annually to the player “whose on-field performance and contributions to his community most inspire others to higher levels of achievement.”
Granderson was selected by teammates as the Mets’ nominee for the prestigious award. Each team voted to select one player as their nominee. The 30 players were then pared down to six, with one representative from each division.
Granderson, along with Los Angeles Dodgers free-agent third baseman Justin Turner and Chicago Cubs first baseman were named the finalists via fan voting.
In 2012, Granderson made a $5 million donation toward the construction of an indoor/outdoor baseball complex at his alma mater, University of Illinois at Chicago.
He organizes baseball clinics in Chicago, Florida and New York, not only teaching the sport to young children, but also stressing the importance of hard work, dedication and leadership.
Granderson founded the Grand Kids Foundation in 2007, which aims to aid youth development via education, physical fitness. He won the 2016 Roberto Clemente Award, which Adrian Gonzalez was nominated for.
While Turner was instrumental in the Dodgers’ success over the past three seasons, his contributions in the Los Angeles community during that span can’t be understated.
Turner regularly works alongside the Los Angeles Dream Center to visit local hospitals, participate in a Christmas toy drive, host guests at Dodger Stadium, and more. Earlier this year he staged the first annual Justin Turner Golf Classic to benefit homeless veterans.
Clayton Kershaw (2014) remains the lone Dodgers player to win the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award during its 20 years of existence.
