Miguel Rojas was named the winner of the 20th annual Roy Campanella Award, which is annually given to the Los Angeles Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher. Dodgers uniformed personnel votes for the winner who’s deemed the “Most Inspirational Dodger.”
Rojas will be presented with the award by Campanella’s daughter, Joni Campanella Roan, and his grandson, J.T. Campanella, during a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Rojas also received the honor last season.
He joins Clayton Kershaw (2013-2014) and Justin Turner (2019-2020) as the only Dodgers to win back-to-back Roy Campanella Awards. Overall, Rojas is the fourth player to win multiple times, joining Kershaw, Turner (2017, 2019, 2020) and Chase Utley (2016, 2018).
Moreover, the 36-year-old Rojas is tied with Jamey Carroll (2010) as the second-oldest player to win the honor, after Utley (37, 39).
Rafael Furcal received the inaugural Roy Campanella Award in 2006 and since then it has been awarded to Russell Martin (2007), James Loney (2008), Juan Pierre (2009), Carroll (2010), Matt Kemp (2011), A.J. Ellis (2012), Kershaw (2013-2014), Zack Greinke (2015), Utley (2016, 2018), Turner (2017, 2019-2020), Chris Taylor (2021), Freddie Freeman (2022) and Jason Heyward (2023).
Rojas returned to the Dodgers in 2023 and signed a two-year contract, reuniting him with the organization where he made his MLB debut on June 8, 2014. The Dodgers exercised a team option on Rojas to keep him under contract for the 2025 season.
In addition to contributions on the field, Rojas has taken on a leadership role since returning three years ago, instituting celebratory toasts in the clubhouse when when the team wins a series or completes a sweep.
Roy Campanella’s legacy with Dodgers
During his Dodgers career, Campanella was a three-time National League MVP (1951, 1953 and 1955), eight-time All-Star and a member of the 1955 World Series championship team. He played in five World Series and his 142 RBI in 1953 set a franchise record, which later was surpassed by Tommy Davis (153 in 1962).
In 1,215 career games during a 10-year career, all with the Dodgers, Campanella hit .276 with 242 home runs and 856 RBI.
He began his career in the Negro Leagues, establishing himself as one of the top catchers in the league before joining the Dodger organization in 1946. Campanella played for Class B Nashua of the New England League, making that club the first integrated affiliated baseball team in the United States.
On Jan. 29, 1958, just as the Dodgers were making final preparations for their move to Los Angeles, Campanella was involved in a tragic car accident that paralyzed him from the neck down, marking the end of his playing career.
On May 7, 1959, an MLB record 93,103 fans filled the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on “Roy Campanella Night” for an exhibition game between the Dodgers and New York Yankees.
Campanella was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and was among the first three Dodgers to have their uniform numbers retired alongside Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax.
Campanella remained active in the Dodgers’ Community Relations Department until his death on June 26, 1993, at the age of 71.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
