Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, announced that Paul Goldschmidt was named the Arizona Diamondbacks 2015 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.
Wednesday, September 16th marks the fourteenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Goldschmidt is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others.
Goldschmidt continues to be an MVP-worthy candidate on the field but more importantly for his commitment to the Arizona community off the field. Goldschmidt and his wife, Amy, spend countless hours volunteering at Phoenix Children’s Hospital interacting and visiting with kids and their families; a genuine passion they both share. Last year Goldschmidt launched Goldy’s Fund 4 Kids, in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, to help families at Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) and earlier this spring, Paul and Amy hosted a Champions for Children luncheon to raise money for PCH. In addition to his work with Phoenix Children’s Hospital, he has chaired events including Chrysalis, a non-profit domestic violence shelter, and assisted Soldier’s Best Friend, a local non-profit that pairs veterans with adopted animals and then certifies them as a service animal. This year Goldschmidt increased the number of full-tuition scholarships for students wanting to continue their education at University of Phoenix from three to five. After graduating from University of Phoenix in 2013, both Paul and Amy will personally select the five finalists to receive the award and present the scholarships at a D-backs game.
“Paul is a leader both on and off the field and we are proud to have such a great role model leading our team in every way,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “His humble attitude and genuine passion to help others is commendable. He represents what it means to be a D-back in every aspect.”
“I am honored to be named the D-backs’ Roberto Clemente nominee,” said Goldschmidt. “Amy and I are truly committed to giving back in the Arizona community so this is a tremendous honor to be considered a community ambassador on and off the field and follow in his footsteps.”
The distinguished list of past Roberto Clemente Award winners includes 16 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:
Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on Friday, October 9th, and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 World Series, where the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.
Clubs playing at home on September 16th will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.
The concept of honoring players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award,” but was renamed to the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 in honor of the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Each September since 2002, Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day.
