Trevino's off-field mission in youth, community earns him Reds' Roberto Clemente Award nomination

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

MILWAUKEE — When catcher Jose Trevino was traded from the Yankees to the Reds in December 2024, he knew immediately that he wanted to be a factor in the community and part of life in the city of Cincinnati.

Less than a month later, Trevino was part of that offseason's Reds winter caravan.

“I just try my best to get acclimated with the city that I’m in the most, and that’s connecting with the youth the best that I can," Trevino said.

For his efforts, Trevino was named as the Reds’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. The MLB award is given annually to a player "who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

"I know I’m not going to sell the most jerseys on the team. I know that I might not be the most popular one, but any time I can get in front of some kids and help them out in any kind of way – whether it’s athletics, academics or donating some money or anything like that, I’m trying to do that," Trevino said.

Trevino, 33, is a veteran of nine Major League seasons with the Rangers, Yankees and Reds and was a 2022 All-Star for New York. He has emerged as a respected veteran leader at all of his stops, including Cincinnati.

Helping kids is a major motivator for Trevino. Among his initiatives is the Fantasy Camp for Kids at the P&G MLB Reds Youth Academy, a special one-day camp for kids from the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League. The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League, named for longtime Reds pitcher and broadcaster affectionately remembered as "The Ol' Left-hander," provides “accessible and inclusive baseball fields and recreational opportunities with a big-league-level gameday environment for athletes with special abilities of all ages,” per the organization’s website.

Trevino regularly visits patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and is a part of two new traditions there for the team. One is on Players' Weekend, when the kids get to paint their own original designs on players' cleats and are later auctioned for charity. Another is a reverse autograph signing where Reds players get the autographs from the kids they visit.

“I think that’s one of the coolest things I have been a part of," Trevino said.

Trevino also regularly spends time with kids at the ballpark who are with the Make-A-Wish program.

“The word that comes from that, that everybody talks about, is perspective," Trevino said of Cincinnati Children's. "I have kids of my own. I’m not going to be the most popular one but when they see I have a Reds jersey on, they automatically change. There’s a smile on their face. Their energy is different. If that’s what we can do for them, that’s what we can do. Provide some kind of distraction from reality that’s going on.”

For each of his two seasons with Cincinnati, Trevino has been involved with the Reds Community Fund's programs at the Youth Academy.

“The Youth Academy is huge," he said. “If they don’t get something out of baseball, they have academics. I’m jealous that Corpus Christi isn’t part of a Major League city because our youth in my hometown would strive off of that.”

Corpus Christi, Texas, is Trevino's hometown, where he also spreads his philanthropic efforts during the ofseason. He started the annual Trevi's World Series, a youth baseball and softball tournament for a multi-day, invitation-only tournament that brings teams to play all over the South Texas city.

The tournament, which Trevino began on a grassroots level in 2017, became a fully organized event that’s also a charitable fundraiser in 2021. This year's edition, which includes scheduled activities aboard the USS Lexington, is scheduled from Dec. 3-6. It's also a way to bring out-of-towners to experience the town.

“We have the beach. We have a beautiful city, great food, good people," Trevino said. "So just getting people attracted to that city is huge. Where I can help out in that is developing the youth baseball and softball fields around the area and that’s what we’re doing.”

This year, Trevino organized and funded a trip that flew a 15U Texas baseball team to Cincinnati, where they stayed in a hotel, attended a Reds game, toured the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and watched fireworks from the field.

With his partner from youth sports organization 24 Sports, L’Erin Hampton, Trevino has lobbied Corpus Christi's government to build or upgrade youth baseball and softball fields and facilities around the city.

“Wherever there is youth sports, a community grows – big time," Trevino said. "It can be volleyball, soccer, anything. That’s what I want for the city of Corpus Christi. Obviously not every kid there will become a Major League Baseball player, but I think they deserve the chance to play on the same kind of fields as people from up in North Texas.”

The winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, which began in 1971 as the Commissioner's Award before it was renamed to honor Clemente in 1973, will be announced during the World Series next month.