Will Smith was named the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2026 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for Major Leaguers.
The Roberto Clemente Award is presented annually in recognition of the Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Each team nominates one player to be considered for the league-wide award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character.
This is Smith’s first nomination and comes on the heels of Mookie Betts becoming the fourth Dodgers player to ever the Roberto Clemente Award.
Fans can now vote for the Roberto Clemente Award winner via MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (in both English and Spanish). Fan voting extends through the final day of the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 27. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel.
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be honored at the 2026 World Series following selection by the aforementioned panel. It includes representatives from the commissioner’s office, Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, National Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr.
Sept. 15 marks the annual Roberto Clemente Day, which MLB established to honor his legacy as a humanitarian and to formally acknowledge team nominees of the annual award
As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards, and a customized tribute video and the 30 award nominees will be shown in all ballparks.
In further celebration of Roberto Clemente Day, all players, manager and coaches of his former Pittsburgh Pirates team will wear No. 21 as their uniform number. Moreover, all active Roberto Clemente Award winners will have a “21” patch on the back of their caps.
Lastly, all Roberto Clemente Award nominees and previous recipients have the option to wear “21” as their uniform number, joining players from Puerto Rico.
The concept of honoring Major League players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award.” The recognition was renamed to the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 as tribute to Clemente following his passing while delivering relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972.
Will Smith’s foundation
Smith’s charitable efforts are largely carried out through the Catching Hope Foundation, which he founded with his wife, Cara, in 2021.
The Catching Hope Foundation has a mission to help underprivileged children with critical skills needed for leadership, self-advocacy and self-sufficiency. The organization helps students develop the tools to help them achieve success.
Along with their own foundation, the Smiths have also partnered with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) for several events and initiatives. Most recently, Smith joined Dodgers broadcaster Stephen Nelson for a pregame ceremony to recognize LADF legacy scholars.
2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominees
Arizona Diamondbacks – Corbin Carroll
Athletics – Zack Gelof*
Atlanta Braves – Austin Riley*
Baltimore Orioles – Pete Alonso
Boston Red Sox – Garrett Whitlock*
Chicago Cubs – Dansby Swanson*
Chicago White Sox – Davis Martin*
Cincinnati Reds – Jose Trevino
Cleveland Guardians – Joey Cantillo*
Colorado Rockies – Kyle Freeland
Detroit Tigers – Justin Verlander
Houston Astros – Josh Hader
Kansas City Royals – Bobby Witt Jr.
Los Angeles Angels – Zach Neto*
Los Angeles Dodgers – Will Smith*
Miami Marlins – Otto Lopez*
Milwaukee Brewers – Christian Yelich
Minnesota Twins – Pablo López
New York Mets – Francisco Lindor
New York Yankees – Carlos Rodón
Philadelphia Phillies – Kyle Schwarber
Pittsburgh Pirates – Brandon Lowe
San Diego Padres – Jason Adam
San Francisco Giants – Logan Webb*
Seattle Mariners – Julio Rodríguez*
St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Walker*
Tampa Bay Rays – Cedric Mullins*
Texas Rangers – Jake Burger*
Toronto Blue Jays – George Springer
Washington Nationals – Nasim Nuñez*
* denotes first time nominee
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!
