Major League Baseball revealed the 30 nominees for the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award on Thursday.
The award is one of the most prestigious honors in baseball. It is handed to a player who represents the sport and Clemente himself on and off the field through character, community presence and philanthropic efforts. Originally called the Commissioner’s Award, the league renamed it after Clemente in 1973.
Each organization selects a player to be nominated for the honor, and 16 players from this year’s group are first-year nominees:
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- Arizona Diamondbacks: Josh Rojas
- Atlanta Braves: Tyler Matzek
- Baltimore Orioles: Dillon Take
- 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: Jose Altuve
- Kansas City Royals: Nicky Lopez
- 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
Teams were allowed to maintain their original nominees even if a player was traded.
Clemente was the first Latin American player to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He died on Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while attempting to provide aid for earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Along with the Roberto Clemente Award, the league pays tribute to the former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder each September with Roberto Clemente Day, where players can wear his No. 21 on the field.