Roberto Clemente died on New Year's Eve 1972, flying relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The plane went down off Puerto Rico, where he was born.
The award that carries his name goes each year to the player who best represents baseball through character, community involvement and philanthropy. This year's thirty nominees — one from every club — were announced ahead of Roberto Clemente Day on Sept. 15, the same day National Hispanic Heritage Month begins.
Four of them were born outside the fifty states.
The four
Francisco Lindor (Mets) — Caguas, Puerto Rico
Otto Lopez (Marlins) — Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Julio Rodríguez (Mariners) — Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic
Pablo López (Twins) — Cabimas, Venezuela
The other 26 were born in the fifty states, according to birthplace data compiled by Baseball Almanac.
Lindor was born in Puerto Rico, which is U.S. soil — he's a U.S. citizen by birth, as Clemente was. MLB counts Puerto Rican players as internationally born for roster purposes, which is how the league arrives at 249 internationally born players on Opening Day rosters this season, roughly a quarter of the league.
The nominee list runs well below that.
That isn't a knock on it. Each club nominates its own player for work done in that club's community, so the geography of the nominees tracks the geography of the clubs more than the geography of the sport. But it's worth noticing on the day the award is announced.
All 30 nominees
Angels: Zach Neto
Astros: Josh Hader
Athletics: Zack Gelof
Blue Jays: George Springer
Braves: Austin Riley
Brewers: Christian Yelich
Cardinals: Jordan Walker
Cubs: Dansby Swanson
D-backs: Corbin Carroll
Dodgers: Will Smith
Giants: Logan Webb
Guardians: Joey Cantillo
Mariners: Julio Rodríguez
Marlins: Otto Lopez
Mets: Francisco Lindor
Nationals: Nasim Nuñez
Orioles: Pete Alonso
Padres: Jason Adam
Phillies: Kyle Schwarber
Pirates: Brandon Lowe
Rangers: Jake Burger
Rays: Cedric Mullins
Red Sox: Garrett Whitlock
Reds: Jose Trevino
Rockies: Kyle Freeland
Royals: Bobby Witt Jr.
Tigers: Justin Verlander
Twins: Pablo López
White Sox: Davis Martin
Yankees: Carlos Rodón
Fourteen are first-time nominees. Seven are 2026 All-Stars.
How to v ote
Fans vote at mlbtogether.com/clementeaward, in English or Spanish, through Sept. 27 — the last day of the regular season. There's no limit on how many times you can vote.
The fan vote counts as a single vote among those cast by a blue-ribbon panel that includes representatives from the Commissioner's Office, Capital One, MLB Network, FOX, ESPN, NBC, Netflix, TBS, MLB.com, the Hall of Fame, and Clemente's sons Enrique, Luis and Roberto Jr.
The winner is honored during the World Series.
Who's won it
Mookie Betts won last year. Salvador Perez won in 2024, Aaron Judge in 2023.
Twenty Hall of Famers have won the award since 1971: Willie Mays, Brooks Robinson, Al Kaline, Willie Stargell, Lou Brock, Rod Carew, Phil Niekro, Gary Carter, Cal Ripken Jr., Barry Larkin, Dave Winfield, Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett, Tony Gwynn, Jim Thome, Edgar Martínez, Craig Biggio, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz.
Rod Carew, born in Gatún in the Panama Canal Zone, was the first foreign-born winner in 1977. There wasn't another until Sammy Sosa in 1998.
The foreign-born winners since: Albert Pujols (2008), Carlos Delgado (2006), Carlos Beltrán (2013), Yadier Molina (2018), Carlos Carrasco (2019), Nelson Cruz (2021).
Delgado, Beltrán and Molina are all Puerto Rican — the only three born in Clemente's home commonwealth to win the award named after him.
MLB The Show is running a Clemente program
MLB The Show 26 launched a Roberto Clemente Day program on Sept. 15 — Moments and Missions built around his career, plus themed packs.
The game's own description covers the full accounting: eighteen seasons, fifteen All-Star selections across thirteen years, two World Series titles, the 1971 World Series MVP, twelve Gold Gloves. And the part that isn't statistics — his work with children and the poor in Puerto Rico and across Latin America and the Caribbean.
For a lot of people under thirty, that will be the most detailed encounter with Clemente they have this year.
Nominees via MLB. Birthplace data via Baseball Almanac. Award history via Baseball Reference.