David Robertson named White Sox nominee for the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet

CHICAGO - Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced that David Robertson was named the Chicago White Sox 2015 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.  

Robertson is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Wednesday, September 16 marks the 14th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. The 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972, while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Robertson and his wife, Erin, co-founded High Socks for Hope in 2011 after his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was devastated by a tornado. The organization devotes its energy to passionately advocating for those devastated and displaced by tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters, as well as homeless, disabled or destitute veterans.

High Socks for Hope has providing furnishings and other resources for those who lost everything in various states, including more than 175 homes in Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Texas. In April 2015, just days before the home opener at U.S. Cellular Field, a tornado ripped through the Illinois towns of Rochelle and Fairdale. High Socks for Hope immediately sent volunteers and aid to those communities in need. Since then, the organization has focused on providing support for families in affected communities to help rebuild and furnish their homes. Robertson visited the towns in August to meet with families and survey the damage and ongoing recovery.

"David has made it a point to embrace Chicago as his home since he first joined our organization," said Christine O'Reilly, White Sox vice president of community relations. "He has displayed compassion for communities in need throughout his career and commitment to the cause through his own foundation High Socks for Hope. We are proud to honor David for the Roberto Clemente nomination and salute the dedicated ongoing work to help those who need it most."

"I am honored to be named the White Sox nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award," said Robertson. "Roberto Clemente was an inspiring player both on and off the field, setting the example high for what can be done by athletes. We're given so much as baseball players that it's only fitting that we return the support to the community."

Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day on September 16, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on Sunday, October 9, and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 World Series, where the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

As part of the league-wide celebration, the White Sox will recognize Robertson. In addition, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.

In 2014, White Sox great Paul Konerko was named co-winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet along with Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies. Konerko, who is the first White Sox to receive the award, and his wife, Jennifer, founded the Bring Me Home Campaign in 2007 as a family effort with former White Sox teammate Jim Thome and his wife Andrea. They partnered with the White Sox and Children's Home + Aid to help raise awareness, generate support, recruit foster parents and advocate for the needs of foster children and their families. 

The distinguished list of past Roberto Clemente Award winners includes 16 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

1971 - Willie Mays+**

1972 - Brooks Robinson+**

1973 - Al Kaline+

1974 - Willie Stargell+

1975 - Lou Brock+

1976 - Pete Rose

1977 - Rod Carew+

1978 - Greg Luzinski

1979 - Andre Thornton

1980 - Phil Niekro+

1981 - Steve Garvey

1982 - Ken Singleton

1983 - Cecil Cooper

1984 - Ron Guidry

1985 - Don Baylor

1986 - Garry Maddox

1987 - Rick Sutcliffe

1988 - Dale Murphy

1989 - Gary Carter+

1990 - Dave Stewart

1991 - Harold Reynolds

1992 - Cal Ripken, Jr.+

1993 - Barry Larkin+

1994 - Dave Winfield+

1995 - Ozzie Smith+

1996 - Kirby Puckett+

1997 - Eric Davis

1998 - Sammy Sosa

1999 - Tony Gwynn+

2000 - Al Leiter

2001 - Curt Schilling

2002 - Jim Thome

2003 - Jamie Moyer

2004 - Edgar Martinez

2005 - John Smoltz+

2006 - Carlos Delgado

2007 - Craig Biggio+

2008 - Albert Pujols

2009 - Derek Jeter

2010 - Tim Wakefield

2011 - David Ortiz

2012 - Clayton Kershaw

2013 - Carlos Beltran

2014 - Paul Konerko *

2014 - Jimmy Rollins *

+ Member of The National Baseball Hall of Fame

* Co-winner

** Originally known as the Commissioner's Award (prior to 1973)