For the seventh time in his career, Paul Goldschmidt has been named his team’s nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One is the annual recognition of a player from each MLB Club who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. It is the most prominent individual player award bestowed by MLB.
“I hear the name Roberto Clemente and think of all he did not only on the field, but off the field,” said Goldschmidt. “His humanitarian efforts across the globe are inspirational and I am honored to represent the St. Louis Cardinals as this year’s Roberto Clemente Award nominee.”
The humblest of men, Paul Goldschmidt is highly regarded not only by his teammates, but also by his competition. The 2022 All-Star continues to prove that he is an athlete of extraordinary character both on and off the field. His philanthropic efforts are numerous and far-reaching. Rather than start his own charity, Goldschmidt has chosen to step in and assist a wide array of charitable causes behind the scenes without seeking recognition for his efforts.
Since joining the Cardinals in December 2018, Goldschmidt has joined teammate and 2020 Roberto Clemente Award winner, Adam Wainwright, in several charitable efforts through Wainwright’s charity, Big League Impact (BLI). In 2021, through his partnership with BLI, Paul raised $46,420 to help build a community center in the Dominican Republic with Food for the Hungry as part of the #ALLWIN campaign, an effort where players pledge dollars and support for causes close to their hearts while asking fans to join them in their efforts to support those in need. The center will provide vocational training for youth and women and instruction to community residents on how to improve household sanitation, basic hygiene, and nutritional skills.
As part of BLI’s 2022 #ALLWIN Campaign, Goldschmidt is playing for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, an organization that provides an opportunity for families living in substandard rental housing to help build and then purchase a home they can afford to maintain. He will also donate to Habitat for Humanity St. Louis for every Cardinals playoff win.
Also this season, Goldschmidt participated in BLI’s special events Swinging for Impact and Trivia Night, which collectively raised $97,000 to continue Big League Impact’s mission to help people meet basic human needs like food, clean water, medical care, shelter, and education in an effort to save lives, restore dignity, and instill hope.
On August 6, 2022, Goldschmidt hosted a free baseball clinic for kids, parents and coaches at Busch Stadium. During the clinic Goldschmidt stressed importance of using sports, specifically baseball, to build life skills rather than solely focusing on winning. On August 14, 2022, Goldschmidt hosted Uncork for a Cause, a gala that benefited Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization that designs, builds and implements safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas.
Goldschmidt is also a strong supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals team charity, Cardinals Care. His annual financial contributions and signing of memorabilia used for silent auctions help support the flagship Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball/softball program for children ages 5-13, as well as the charity’s grant and youth ballfield programs.
Goldschmidt’s Player Ticket Program, Goldy’s Golden Ticket, started in 2019 to bring deserving youth organizations to a game. He provides t-shirts, photo cards, tickets and food vouchers and meets with the groups to answer questions, sign autographs and take photos. Over the years, Goldschmidt has met with hundreds of children as part of the program. During the 2022 season, Goldschmidt met with kids from Annie’s Hope, an organization that provides comprehensive support services to children, teens and their families who are grieving a death; St. Louis Down Syndrome Association, an organization that serves, supports, and celebrates the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families, through every stage of life; and Common Goals and Minds, an organization that utilizes sports as a platform to mentor our youth and to engage communities together.
“Paul Goldschmidt is truly an athlete of extraordinary character both on and off the field,” said Michael Hall, Vice President, Community Relations & Executive Director, Cardinals Care. “We admire his far-reaching and numerous efforts to help people in need, and are proud to have him as a member of the Cardinals.”
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One will be selected via a blue ribbon panel, including Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., representatives from MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente Jr. Beginning today, fans can vote for the overall winner of the Roberto Clemente Award at mlb.com/clemente21. The site features bios of each nominee and will allow fans to vote through the end of the season on Wednesday, October 5. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue ribbon panel.
The concept of honoring Major League players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award.” The recognition was renamed in 1973 in honor of the late 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.
Previous Cardinals to win the Roberto Clemente Award include Adam Wainwright (2020), Yadier Molina (2018), Carlos Beltran (2013), Albert Pujols (2008), Ozzie Smith (1995) and Lou Brock (1975), the most of any MLB Club. More information and award nominees for all 30 MLB teams can be found at mlb.com/clemente21.
MLB Press Release:
Major League Baseball today announced plans to celebrate the humanitarian legacy of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, centered around the annual Roberto Clemente Day and baseball’s most prestigious individual honor, the Roberto Clemente Award – both of which are presented by Capital One.
The 30 Club nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One includes some of the game’s most philanthropic and humanitarian players, including 16 first-time honorees. The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of a 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. The nominees, which were announced exclusively and LIVE on MLB Network, will be officially recognized beginning on Thursday, September 15th, Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One. Major League Baseball established Roberto Clemente Day in 2002 to honor the late Hall of Famer’s legacy as a humanitarian.
The 30 Club nominees of the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award are listed below:
Arizona Diamondbacks – Josh Rojas*
Atlanta Braves – Tyler Matzek*
Baltimore Orioles – Dillon Tate*
Boston Red Sox – Jake Diekman*
Chicago Cubs – Jason Heyward
Chicago White Sox – Liam Hendriks
Cincinnati Reds – Joey Votto
Cleveland Guardians – Triston McKenzie*
Colorado Rockies – Kyle Freeland*
Detroit Tigers – Miguel Cabrera
Houston Astros – José Altuve
Kansas City Royals – Nicky López*
Los Angeles Angels – Jared Walsh*
Los Angeles Dodgers – Justin Turner
Miami Marlins – Pablo López*
Milwaukee Brewers – Brent Suter
Minnesota Twins – Byron Buxton*
New York Mets – James McCann*
New York Yankees – Jose Trevino
Oakland Athletics – Tony Kemp
Philadelphia Phillies – Kyle Gibson
Pittsburgh Pirates – David Bednar*
San Diego Padres – Craig Stammen*
San Francisco Giants – Brandon Crawford
Seattle Mariners – Marco Gonzales*
St. Louis Cardinals – Paul Goldschmidt
Tampa Bay Rays – Brandon Lowe*
Texas Rangers – Taylor Hearn*
Toronto Blue Jays – Bo Bichette
Washington Nationals – Josh Bell
*=First-time Nominee
NOTE: Clubs were permitted to maintain their original nominees even after they were traded.*
As part of the annual program, each MLB Club nominates one player to be considered for the league-wide Award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character. This list of nominees features players whose various community and philanthropic activities have focused on important causes such as supporting underserved children & communities in the United States and around the world, supporting those with cancer and other illnesses, advocating for social justice initiatives, environmental advocacy, and more.
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One will be selected via a blue ribbon panel, including Commissioner Manfred, representatives from Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr. Beginning today, fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One via mlb.com/clemente21 (English) and LasMayores.com/clemente21 (Spanish). The site will feature bios of each of the nominees and will allow fans to vote until the end of the season on Wednesday, October 5th. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel. 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 tribute to Clemente following his passing.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of when the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star tragically died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. As such, Major League Baseball will join the Clemente family in celebrating the decades-long legacy on Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One in the following ways:
- A customized tribute video to both Roberto and his wife Vera – Momentito (in English and Spanish) – will be shown in all MLB ballparks on Roberto Clemente Day as well as on MLB Network, MLB.com, Club sites and MLB Social Media Platforms.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates will play the New York Mets at Citi Field, with the game airing nationwide on FOX beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
- Retired players who are Roberto Clemente Award winners will be in New York to participate in a food packaging volunteer event with Rise Against Hunger at Citi Field with Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. and employees from the Commissioner’s Office and the Mets.
- The Clemente Award winners will be recognized during a special pregame ceremony that also will include members of the Clemente family.
On Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, all players, managers and coaches on the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Club for which Roberto played his entire Hall of Fame career, will once again wear Roberto’s “21” on their uniforms. They will be joined by all players, managers and coaches on the Mets doing the same. Additional uniform elements include:
- All Roberto Clemente Award nominees and previous Award recipients will have the option to wear “21” on their uniforms, joining players from Puerto Rico and others who wore the number during the 2021 commemoration of Roberto Clemente Day.
- All players and on-field personnel will wear a “21” patch on their uniform sleeves, with nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One having language noting their recognition on their patches.
- As they have done all throughout the 2022 regular season, all active Roberto Clemente Award winners will have the “21” patch on the back of their caps in recognition of their distinction in this special fraternity.
Throughout the league, the Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One logo will appear on base jewels and official dugout lineup cards. Additional social media content celebrating Roberto’s legacy in the sport and recognizing the impact of the late Vera Clemente, who served as MLB’s Goodwill Ambassador, will be featured throughout the day. MLB.com and all 30 Club sites will feature Roberto Clemente Day and Award stories and content as well.
MLB Network’s Emmy-award winning “MLB Tonight” will air live from Citi Field on Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One on Thursday, September 15th at 6:00 p.m. ET with Fran Charles, Sean Casey and Harold Reynolds. Following the program, MLB Network will air a new “MLB Tonight: A Conversation” program at 7:00 p.m. ET hosted by Harold Reynolds and Pedro Martinez, with Roberto Clemente Award winners Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Ozzie Smith, Rod Carew, Curtis Granderson and Nelson Cruz. All the former winners will offer their thoughts on winning the award and Clemente’s legacy. The show also will feature Roberto and Vera’s son Luis.
Capital One is the presenting sponsor of both Roberto Clemente Day and the Roberto Clemente Award, the first presenting sponsor of the Award since 2015 and the first-ever sponsor of Roberto Clemente Day. Capital One’s sponsorship includes a number of factors, including the selection process for the overall Roberto Clemente Award recipient and presentation on Roberto Clemente Day across the league. The partnership builds on Capital One’s presence in baseball, which will also include the presenting sponsorship of the World Series. This also follows Capital One’s support of the Jackie Robinson Foundation and sponsorship of MLB All-Star Week (specifically Capital One PLAY BALL Park). The sponsorship aligns with Capital One’s diversity, belonging and inclusion efforts, including its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and broader support for the Hispanic community.
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