David Wright named Mets nominee for the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet

Thirty MLB Players Will Be Recognized for Philanthropic Efforts To Help Celebrate the 13th Annual Roberto Clemente Day on September 17th

Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, Fans Can Vote on ChevyBaseball.com for the National Winner and Register for a Chance to Win a Trip to the 2014 World Series

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, today announced that third baseman David Wright was named the Mets's 2014 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. The annual Award 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.

Each Club nominates one player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet in an effort to pay tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Tomorrow (Wednesday, September 17^th) marks the 13^th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to officially acknowledge local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet and to honor Clemente's legacy. 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.

Wright, the fourth Mets captain in franchise history and seven-time All-Star, has established himself as a leader both on and off the field. He launched the David Wright Foundation in 2005 to provide aid and assistance toward the health, emotional development and education for children in need in New York City and his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia.

Over the past five years, the Foundation has expanded its scope and raised more than $600,000 for a variety of charitable organizations, including the United States Marine Corps' Toys For Tots, the Ronald McDonald House, the Virginia Tech Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Police Athletic League and the Patrolman's Benevolent Association - a tribute to his police officer father - as well as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, for whom David hosts children at Citi Field on a regular basis.

David has been a leader in his adopted hometown of New York City ever since putting on a Mets uniform. Every season, David visits a firehouse around the anniversary of September 11 to recognize our fallen heroes and offer support to the hard-working members of the FDNY. He has spread good cheer to September 11 families during Tuesday's Children visits to Citi Field.

After Hurricane Sandy devastated New York, David donated $250,000 through his foundation to the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC to help the city recover and rebuild. He toured Staten Island communities that were hit hard by the storm and visited students at a local elementary school along with the New York City School Chancellor.

Inspired by the men and women working to rebuild their communities, David launched The Wright Thing in 2013 to honor and recognize volunteers who made an extraordinary impact on the lives of individuals and organizations impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Each month that season, David met with individuals who dedicated time and effort to help their fellow New Yorkers in need. The honorees received an autographed miniature third base and VIP tickets behind third base. They also had the chance to install third base with the grounds crew and had their story told through a video tribute on Citi Vision.

The Wright Thing has continued this year with Wright saluting heroes from the New York City Police Department. The initiative underscores David's admiration of law enforcement personnel as his father, Rhon, served in the Norfolk Police Department for 30 years before retiring as Assistant Police Chief in January.

The 30 Club nominees of the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet feature seven 2014 MLB All-Stars (*=MLB All-Star):

• Arizona Diamondbacks - Paul Goldschmidt*
• Atlanta Braves - Craig Kimbrel*
• Baltimore Orioles - Nick Markakis
• Boston Red Sox - Craig Breslow
• Chicago Cubs - Anthony Rizzo*
• Chicago White Sox - Paul Konerko
• Cincinnati Reds - Skip Schumaker
• Cleveland Indians - Nick Swisher
• Colorado Rockies - Michael Cuddyer
• Detroit Tigers - Justin Verlander
• Houston Astros - Jason Castro
• Kansas City Royals - Eric Hosmer
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - C.J. Wilson
• Los Angeles Dodgers - Clayton Kershaw*
• Miami Marlins - Steve Cishek
• Milwaukee Brewers - Ryan Braun
• Minnesota Twins - Glen Perkins*
• New York Mets - David Wright
• New York Yankees - CC Sabathia
• Oakland Athletics - Jed Lowrie
• Philadelphia Phillies - Jimmy Rollins
• Pittsburgh Pirates - Charlie Morton
• St. Louis Cardinals - Jason Motte
• San Diego Padres - Ian Kennedy
• San Francisco Giants - Sergio Romo
• Seattle Mariners - Felix Hernandez*
• Tampa Bay Rays - Evan Longoria
• Texas Rangers - Adrian Beltre*
• Toronto Blue Jays - Todd Redmond
• Washington Nationals - Ian Desmond

The distinguished list of past national Roberto Clemente Award recipients includes 14 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

+ Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

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

Beginning tomorrow, Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the national Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet recipient 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 6^th and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2014 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel of dignitaries, which includes Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig; MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred; MLB Goodwill Ambassador and wife of Roberto Clemente, Vera Clemente; Hall of Fame Broadcaster and the "Spanish Voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers" Jaime Jarrin; MLB Network analysts and former Roberto Clemente Award winners Al Leiter, Harold Reynolds (also of FOX Sports) and John Smoltz (also of FOX Sports); ESPN analysts and former Roberto Clemente Award winners Rick Sutcliffe and Hall of Famer Barry Larkin; FOX Sports Broadcaster Joe Buck; TBS analysts Ron Darling (also of MLB Network) and Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley; MLB.com senior correspondent Hal Bodley; a representative from Chevrolet; and others.

Clubs playing at home on September 17^th will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs 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.