First baseman Adrian Gonzalez was named the Los Angeles Dodgers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. All 30 clubs had a player nominated.
The award is presented annually to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
This marks the fifth time Gonzalez has been nominated for the award. Three of which have come with the Dodgers, as he was also the club’s nominee 2013 and 2015. Clayton Kershaw was the Dodgers’ representative in 2014, and also 2012 when he became the youngest player to take home the award at 24 years old.
Steve Garvey (1981) is the only other Dodgers player to ever win the prestigious prize.
Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen was the recipient last season, which came with special meaning considering Clemente’s ties to the Pirates organization.
Gonzalez and his wife Betsy established the Adrian and Betsy Gonzalez Foundation to provide for those in need. The foundation’s focus is on empowering underprivileged youth in areas of athletics, education and health.
Gonzalez and his wife have provided all-inclusive tickets to games for families in the Los Angeles area, funded back-to-school shopping sprees and worked with the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
After the 2014 season, Gonzalez participated in a telethon in Mexico to aid children with disabilities, cancer and autism. In August, the Gonzalez and Betsy matched a $10,000 donation from the Dodgers to the David Ortiz Children’s Fund.
Fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award winner on social media using hashtags beginning on Wednesday (Roberto Clemente Day) and continuing through Oct. 2, with the winner announced during the World Series. The hashtag for Gonzalez is “#VoteAdrian.”
