Andrew McCutchen named Pirates nominee for the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, today announced that Andrew McCutchen was named the Pittsburgh Pirates 2015 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.

Wednesday, September 16th marks the fourteenth 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. McCutchen 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.

McCutchen, the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player and five-time All Star, remains actively involved with several community and non-profit organizations making a difference in and around Pittsburgh. He currently supports Pirates Charities, the philanthropic arm of the Pirates, the Make-A- Wish Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh and Southern West Virginia, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, the Homeless Children's Education Fund, the Light of Life Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and more.

McCutchen has supported Pirates Charities since his debut with the Pirates in 2009 and in that time has donated a significant amount of time and money to support the various initiatives in and around the greater Pittsburgh area and in Bradenton, FL.

In 2010, McCutchen and Pirates Charities instituted his signature program, "Cutch's Crew." The goal of "Cutch's Crew" is to mentor Pittsburgh inner city youth baseball players and at-risk youth. Through the program, McCutchen hosts members of his crew for select games and provides special baseball clinics on the field at PNC Park, spending time to answer questions and interact with the youth.

"Cutch's Crew" has also partnered with the Pittsburgh Promise program-a Pittsburgh Area Public Schools scholarship program-- and has hosted several groups from the organization at PNC Park. In addition, "Cutch's Crew" has also raised money for various community programs throughout western Pennsylvania through the "Cutch's Crew" race team during the Pittsburgh Marathon.

Over the past few seasons, Andrew has worked with the Pirates and Make-A-Wish of Greater PA and Southern West Virginia to host several Wish recipients at PNC Park and at the team's southern home, McKechnie Field in Bradenton.

With each and every Wish recipient, Andrew goes above and beyond to make sure the day is as special and unique as possible. He takes the time to learn about each Wish recipient, their likes/dislikes, etc. and uses that information to tailor a perfect wish for the specific child. Tailored events include setting up lunch in centerfield with one recipient and a surprise helicopter landing at PNC Park for another.

Aside from his own community outreach, McCutchen is the first to support his teammates' efforts, including kids' meet-and-greets, clinics at the ballpark, visits to local hospitals to spend time with those in need of a smile.

His heart and generosity has impacted so many on a personal level. In 2012, upon learning of a local group from the Homewood-Brushton YMCA that was unable to fund a once in a lifetime musical education trip to Prague, Czech Republic, McCutchen stepped up, through Pirates Charities, to donate the funds to make their trip possible.

In 2013, McCutchen provided his image, time and financial contributions to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh, which included several on-site renovations and hosting a gala in support of their mission.