The 30 Club nominees for the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award, the most prominent individual award for Major League players, were announced today by Major League Baseball. The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of a player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. 

It was announced that pitcher Cole Hamels is the Texas Rangers nominee for the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award. Clubs submitted their Clemente Award nominations to Major League Baseball in early July. Hamels was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 27.

"The Rangers nominated Cole Hamels for a third consecutive year for the Roberto Clemente Award due to the extraordinary community contributions made by Cole and Heidi Hamels and The Hamels Foundation," said Rangers Chief Operating Officer and Rangers Foundation Chairman Neil Leibman. "Cole is a most worthy candidate for this prestigious award, and we felt it was very appropriate that he remain our 2018 nominee. We thank Cole and Heidi and The Hamels Foundation for the impact they have made."
  
Each Club nominates one current player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award in tribute to Clemente's achievements and character. Wednesday, September 5th marks the seventeenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially acknowledge local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award. Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day in early September since 2002.  
  
Hamels and The Hamels Foundation will be honored in a pre-game ceremony tomorrow on Roberto Clemente Day. The Hamels Foundation COO Kathy Greene will accept the award on Cole Hamels' behalf. As part of the league-wide celebration, 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. 

During his career, Hamels has donated over $20.6 million to educational and non-profit organizations both domestically and internationally, in the hopes of making a difference in a child's life. This past off-season, Cole and his wife Heidi gifted their 32,000 square foot home on Table Rock Lake, Missouri, including more than 100 acres, to Camp Barnabas. Based in Southwest Missouri, Camp Barnabas is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing life-changing experiences to individuals with special needs and chronic illnesses, as well as their siblings. The gift, valued at $9.5 million, marks the largest donation in the history of Camp Barnabas.  

The Hamels Foundation, founded in 2009 by Cole and Heidi Hamels, provides hope and a brighter future for children by providing financial support for educational opportunities. The Hamels Foundation works to empower children in inner city schools in the United States as well as rural Malawi, Africa. The Hamels Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the power of education by giving children the necessary tools they need in order to achieve their goals. To date, he has donated $5.9 million to underwrite The Hamels Foundation and its mission. In addition, Hamels has donated an additional $4.1 million raised through donors and fundraising events.

In addition to The Hamels Foundation, Hamels has personally donated $1.1 million to various non-profit organizations. During his three years with the Rangers, Hamels collaborated with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation in underwriting classrooms at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy and hosted military personnel from area bases as part of his Operation 35 program, underwriting the total cost of $36,000.

The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, who will be announced during the 2018 World Series, will be selected among the group of nominees via a blue ribbon panel that includes individuals connected to the game. The blue ribbon panel includes Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., representatives from MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS) and MLB.com, as well as Vera Clemente (the late Roberto's wife & MLB Goodwill Ambassador). Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans can vote for the overall winner of the Roberto Clemente Award via a dedicated website from Wednesday, September 5th, until Tuesday, September 18th. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue ribbon panel. Fans are encouraged to vote by visiting the following link: mlb.com/clemente21.