Paul Goldschmidt Named Arizona Diamondbacks Nominee for the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award

By admin September 17, 2014 06:55

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Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, announced that Paul Goldschmidt was named the D-backs’ 2014 nominee for the prestigious 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.

Each Club nominates one player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet in an effort to pay tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Wednesday, September 17^th marks the thirteenth 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 and to honor Clemente’s legacy. The 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Goldschmidt has lived up to his teammate-given name of “America’s First Baseman” not only for his contributions on the field but 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. This year Goldschmidt launched Goldy’s Fund 4 Kids, in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, to help families at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The program kicked off fundraising for the 2014 season with a limited-edition Goldschmidt Bleacher Creature plush doll, which showcases Goldschmidt in a D-backs uniform, and was made available to fans with a $44 donation to Goldy’s Fund 4 Kids. The program has already raised $25,000 this season.

In addition to his work with Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Goldschmidt also granted three full-tuition scholarships for students wanting to continue their education at University of Phoenix. After graduating from University of Phoenix last year, the Goldschmidts personally selected the three finalists to receive the award and presented the scholarships at a recent D-backs game. The D-backs will recognize Goldschmidt during a special pregame ceremony on the field tomorrow.

“Paul is a great role model in every way and continues to be a leader both on the field and off the field,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “His selfless attitude and genuine passion to help others is admirable. 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. “Roberto was a tremendous community ambassador on and off the field, and I am grateful to be considered for the Award named in his honor.”

The distinguished list of past national Roberto Clemente Award recipients includes 14 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

1971	Willie Mays+**	1982	Ken Singleton	1993	Barry Larkin+	2004	Edgar Martinez
1972	Brooks Robinson+**	1983	Cecil Cooper	1994	Dave Winfield+	2005	John Smoltz
1973	Al Kaline+	1984	Ron Guidry	1995	Ozzie Smith+	2006	Carlos Delgado
1974	Willie Stargell+	1985	Don Baylor	1996	Kirby Puckett+	2007	Craig Biggio
1975	Lou Brock+	1986	Garry Maddox	1997	Eric Davis	2008	Albert Pujols
1976	Pete Rose	1987	Rick Sutcliffe	1998	Sammy Sosa	2009	Derek Jeter
1977	Rod Carew+	1988	Dale Murphy	1999	Tony Gwynn+	2010	Tim Wakefield
1978	Greg Luzinski	1989	Gary Carter+	2000	Al Leiter	2011	David Ortiz
1979	Andre Thornton	1990	Dave Stewart	2001	Curt Schilling	2012	Clayton Kershaw
1980	Phil Niekro+	1991	Harold Reynolds	2002	Jim Thome	2013	Carlos Beltran
1981	Steve Garvey	1992	Cal Ripken, Jr.+	2003	Jamie Moyer

+ Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

** Originally known as the Commissioner’s Award (prior to 1973)

Fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the national Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet recipient by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on Sunday, October 6^th and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2014 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel of dignitaries, which includes Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig; MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred;MLB Goodwill Ambassador and wife of Roberto Clemente, Vera Clemente; and representatives from Chevrolet, MLB Network, MLB.com, ESPN, FOX Sports and TBS, among others.

Clubs playing at home on September 17^th 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 the official dugout lineup cards.