Major League Baseball announced that Francisco Lindor was named the New York Mets 2023 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, baseball's most prestigious individual honor for Major Leaguers.
The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One 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.
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.
Ever since Francisco Lindor made it to the Major Leagues, he has had a philanthropic heart for giving back, not only in the states but also in his home, Puerto Rico. When Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico causing catastrophic flooding and leaving millions of people without power, their homes, and basic necessities, Francisco and his wife, Katia, sprang into action immediately by partnering with Team Rubicon to help them respond on the ground to communities in need. The Lindor family donated $50,000 to support Team Rubicon's efforts, with the Amazin' Mets Foundation matching their donation. Lindor's support of Team Rubicon inspired others to also make donations, which brought relief and assistance to those most affected.
The Mets star has a passion for giving back to those who have helped him get to this stage in his career, which is why he works closely with his alma mater, the Montverde Academy to provide resources to the next generation. Lindor has assisted with the funding and development Montverde Academy's Lindor Hall, a two-story middle school building that has 14 classrooms, three innovative science laboratories, a technology laboratory, a conference room, a study hall, a teacher's lounge, and an administrative space. Lindor Hall also includes an attached 12,711 square-foot gymnasium which is used for physical education classes, sporting events, and general activities, like assemblies, dances, and robotics competitions. Lindor was the lead donor on this project, donating $1 million. Along with Lindor Hall, Francisco has made a pledge to his former school by creating the Francisco Lindor Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to students who otherwise would not be able to attend Montverde Academy.
"I believe education is at the foundation of the future of every young man and woman out there," Lindor said. "By leaving Puerto Rico and coming to the Academy, I definitely grew up and became a man through my experience here. The education I received and the confidence, work ethic, and character I developed and strengthened here as a student, helped shape me. I'm thankful for the blessings the Lord has bestowed on my family and me. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to pay it forward."
In August, Lindor partnered with New Balance for a back-to-school backpack drive. Lindor teamed up with New Balance and the Amazin' Mets Foundation to donate backpacks to local students from the Tommie L. Agee Educational Campus, P.S. 419 in East Elmhurst, Queens. The backpacks contained brand-new school supplies including folders, notebooks, pencils, markers, and crayons, to help prepare these students for the new school year.
Beyond disaster relief and education, the All-Star shortstop is extremely passionate about health and wellness and giving back to the community through his platform. This season, Francisco teamed up with Cohen Children's Medical Center to spend time with patients and their families, take photos, sign autographs, and hand out gifts to the patients and hospital staff.
Friday, September 15th marks the 22nd annual Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy as a humanitarian and to formally acknowledge Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente 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 to Roberto 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 league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One will be honored at the 2023 World Series following selection by a blue-ribbon panel. This panel includes representatives from the Commissioner's Office, Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, 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 MLBTogether.com/clemente21 (in both English and Spanish). The site, which will feature bios of each of the nominees, will allow fans to vote until the end of the season on Sunday, October 1st. 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.
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