Fourth Clemente nod carries special meaning for Lindor

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON -- For four years running, Francisco Lindor has been the Mets’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

It’s something Lindor takes quite seriously, for multiple reasons. One is that like Clemente, Lindor grew up in Puerto Rico. As a child in school, he learned about the Hall of Famer. Such shared history, linking generations, means everything to Lindor and his family.

The other reason is that, in many ways, Major League Baseball has no higher honor than the Clemente Award. Unlike on-field accolades such as an MVP plaque or even a World Series ring, the Clemente Award is based entirely on philanthropy -- on what a player brings to his community.

So what would it mean to Lindor to finally win it, after nearly half a decade of trying?

“It means that the kid my parents raised me to be is doing somewhat what they taught me to do,” Lindor said.

“It would be something that I would cherish for the rest of my career, probably one of the most important awards that I earn, that I win,” he added. “So I would love to win it. I encourage people to vote for me. Man, to represent the Mets and to win something like that … it would be great. It would be an honor and it would be a privilege for sure.”

Among Lindor’s newer initiatives is a collaboration with Seen, a nonprofit that helps families with children navigating physical disability. Lindor’s stepsister has dealt with similar challenges, which is part of why the program has been so important to him and his wife, Katia, who hosts the families at Citi Field.

Lindor is also proud of his partnership with New Balance, which allows him to deliver backpacks and school supplies to hundreds of children each year.

“I remember as a kid seeing my parents struggling to buy all of us school supplies,” Lindor said. “It was tough, you know?”

With the Mets, Lindor said, team owner Alex Cohen has been an inspiration with her own philanthropy, which has only pushed Lindor to do more. Like Lindor, Cohen comes from a Puerto Rican family, providing another connection to Clemente and his namesake award. It stands to reason that Lindor will continue earning Clemente nominations until the day his name is finally called.

In the interim, Lindor said, “I am going to continue to be me." He laughed. “If the Mets want to continue to nominate me, that would be great. At some point, I would love to win it.”