Even during season on the shelf, Pablo a Clemente Award nominee

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

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nearly anyone in baseball will tell you that the Roberto Clemente Award ranks up there with any honor you can receive. It’s given in recognition of both philanthropic and baseball excellence, and the list of winners includes some of the greatest names in the history of the sport.

So even to be nominated is meaningful, as Pablo López was this week. It’s the fourth time that López has been his club’s nominee, one of the 30 finalists for the award. But to be nominated in a year where he hasn’t thrown a single pitch in a game says an awful lot.

It tells you that his off-the-field efforts are truly special. López is one of a kind, dedicated to making every space he inhabits, from the clubhouse to the community to his home country, a better place.

“I think it speaks volumes of who he is,” said manager Derek Shelton. “Anybody that talks to you about Pablo López, the first thing out of their mouth is he’s one of the best teammates, one of the best people, one of the most genuine people you’ll ever come across. I speak that wholeheartedly. I remember the first conversation I had with him when I got the job. He was driving from Miami to Tampa to do some rehab stuff. I got off the phone, and I was like this can’t be real, just how genuine he is.”

Shelton noted that the Clemente Award is something that has special meaning to him as someone who spent six years in Pittsburgh, surrounded by Clemente’s legacy. It’s also especially meaningful to López as a Latin American player -- not to mention one whose home country has been ravaged by earthquakes in the past year.

For López, there’s a challenge but mostly an opportunity in looking to help out both in the Twin Cities and in Venezuela.

“They’re both equally as important,” he said. “When I’m here, I’m a Minnesotan. I love Minneapolis. I love where I live. My dog loves where we live. When I’m here, I try to be a Minnesotan, feel that way, as much as I can. But obviously we don’t forget our roots. I hear so much about what’s happening in Venezuela because most of my family still lives there.

“Obviously then when the very catastrophic double earthquake happened, I get to hear from them. They’re fine. They’re safe. Where I’m from is geographically far from that, but it’s just, ‘OK, how can I put my effort into -- what are the areas? What are the things that I can do from here?’ … It’s not forgetting where we come from and keeping in touch.”

Shelton referred to López as someone who never says no to an opportunity to help out with a community project, and that’s been especially true as he’s spent the year recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. He’s used the year to explore ways beyond baseball to find satisfaction and fulfillment. And helping out is a good way to do that.

“This year has been a lot of growth on the mental side of things,” López said. “Who am I when I’m not pitching? What are my other identities that are giving me fulfillment, that are filling my cup? So I think it’s a good testament to how true that is, that we have different identities. We have different modes within ourselves.

“Like today, I can find fulfillment by doing a hospital visit. Doing a recess takeover, by doing a Target back to school shopping. So I think it [takes] a completely different meaning. This year, being nominated for this has a completely different meaning to me. And I think it’s going to bring so much gratitude for me next year when I get to keep those things and go back and perform.”