ATLANTA -- Kurt Suzuki received one of baseball's most respected honors on Tuesday, when he was announced as the Braves' nominee for this year's Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes a player who best represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.
"It's pretty cool," Suzuki said. "It's very humbling to be recognized with this kind of award. I try to carry myself very professionally on the field and off the field. I try to be a good role model and a good example for kids out there or for whoever out there. You just try to be a good person on and off the field."
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Suzuki will be recognized during an on-field ceremony on Wednesday, which marks the 17th annual Roberto Clemente Day. Major League Baseball created this special day to honor the legacy of Clemente, the Hall of Fame outfielder who died on Dec. 31, 1972, while attempting to transport supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Suzuki and his wife Renee began the Kurt Suzuki Family Foundation to support scientific research of chronic illnesses and to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. They have organized The Taste of Hawaii each of the past three years, and they added a baseball clinic last year to raise funds for kidney disease research.
"It's been good to get to know him," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "He's a good guy to have as your teammate. He's steady, and he's so professional. He loves to play the game. As a catcher, he takes a beating and shows up to play. He's the ultimate professional."
Some of the veteran catcher's motivation is rooted in the gratitude he has continued to show since his father recovered from the Stage 4 cancer diagnosis he was given in 2007. Renee's younger sister, Patricia, was in the fourth grade when she was diagnosed with a kidney disease that forced her to spend a portion of her childhood making regular trips to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
"A lot of times people get caught up with what happens on the field," Suzuki said. "Off the field, I just like to be a normal person and be myself. For people to recognize what I do, whether it's for the community or for the foundation my wife and I started, luckily, I have the platform to go out there and provide good services. It's a cool thing for my family and I to do."