Brandon McCarthy named A's nominee for the 2012 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet
Beginning today, fans can vote for the national award recipient on MLB.com/ClementeAward and register for a chance to win a trip to the 2012 World Series
Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced that Brandon McCarthy was named the Athletics' 2012 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Today marks the eleventh 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. McCarthy 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. The Award is named for the 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
McCarthy, along with his wife Amanda, raised more than $18,000 to aid the people and animals who were displaced due to the devastating fires in Colorado this past June. The McCarthys, who both attended Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Col., raised funds through an autograph session with McCarthy and other A’s players, silent auction before an A’s game in July, and an online auction of autographed memorabilia from players across the league. The proceeds were donated to the Pikes Peak Chapter American Red Cross in Colorado Springs and the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.
The distinguished list of national Roberto Clemente Award recipients includes 13 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:
| 1971 - Willie Mays* | 1985 - Don Baylor | 1998 - Sammy Sosa |
| 1972 - Brooks Robinson* | 1986 - Garry Maddox | 1999 - Tony Gwynn* |
| 1973 - Al Kaline* | 1987 - Rick Sutcliffe | 2000 - Al Leiter |
| 1974 - Willie Stargell* | 1988 - Dale Murphy | 2001 - Curt Schilling |
| 1975 - Lou Brock* | 1989 - Gary Carter* | 2002 - Jim Thome |
| 1976 - Pete Rose | 1990 - Dave Stewart | 2003 - Jamie Moyer |
| 1977 - Rod Carew* | 1991 - Harold Reynolds | 2004 - Edgar Martinez |
| 1978 - Greg Luzinski | 1992 - Cal Ripken, Jr.* | 2005 - John Smoltz |
| 1979 - Andre Thornton | 1993 - Barry Larkin | 2006 - Carlos Delgado |
| 1980 - Phil Niekro* | 1994 - Dave Winfield* | 2007 - Craig Biggio |
| 1981 - Steve Garvey | 1995 - Ozzie Smith* | 2008 - Albert Pujols |
| 1982 - Ken Singleton | 1996 - Kirby Puckett* | 2009 - Derek Jeter |
| 1983 - Cecil Cooper | 1997 - Eric Davis | 2010 - Tim Wakefield |
| 1984 - Ron Guidry | 2011 - David Ortiz |
*Member of Baseball Hall of Fame
Beginning today, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the award recipient by visiting MLB.com/ClementeAward to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2012 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 14th, and the winner of the fan poll will receive one vote among those cast by a selection panel.
All Clubs playing at home today will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while each visiting Club will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and the official dugout lineup cards.