Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was selected by teammates as the club’s nominee for the 2017 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. Each team votes on one player as their nominee.
Kershaw (2014) resides as the Dodgers’ only player to win the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award through its first 20 years of existence. Curtis Granderson won the award last year as a member of the New York Mets.
Since inception, the award has been presented annually to the player “whose on-field performance and contributions to his community most inspire others to higher levels of achievement.”
The 30 finalists are grouped by team division, with six division finalists to be decided by fan voting that’s already underway. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 19, all Major League players will select one among the finalists to be given the Marvin Miller Award.
The 2017 Players Choice Awards winners will be announced in November, with winners receiving grants totaling $335,000 from the Players Trust to distribute to charities of their choosing. Included in that is $2,500 to all 30 Marvin Miller Man of the Year award nominees.
Kershaw has regularly given back to communities in Dallas and Los Angeles, and provided aid internationally through Kershaw’s Challenge. His charity has partnered with the Los Angeles Dream Center to provide school supplies, health screening, clothing and more at an annual Back to School Bash.
Kershaw’s Challenge also hosts a Ping Pong 4 Purpose charity event at Dodger Stadium that generates funds for various beneficiaries. What’s more, Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, made a donation to Hurricane Harvey relief through their charity.
