Nick Swisher named Indians nominee for the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet
Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, Fans Can Vote on ChevyBaseball.com for the National Recipient 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 Nick Swisher was named the Cleveland Indians 2014 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Swisher 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.
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. Wednesday, September 17th marks the thirteenth 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 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.
Nick and his wife, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, created the Swisher Family Foundation with a mission of providing children in need with medical care, education, and recreational activities. During the 2014 season, the Swishers staged the first Mission Swisher scavenger hunt at Progressive Field to raise money for the Foundation. The couple also engaged children and families in the community with a free advanced screening of Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" at Tower City Cinemas for the Cleveland Boys and Girls Club, and also is currently aligning with MetroHealth System and its Pediatric Wellness Center, which helps children in need with vital medical care, education and recreational activities.
The Swishers have been actively involved with crisis nursery Providence House, the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland and the FBI Citizen Academy's Child Identification Kit Program, donating $250,000 combined to the three causes.
Along with these local non-profits, Swisher has donated the use of his family suite at Progressive Field to an additional eight local charities including Providence House, the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland, the Ronald McDonald House Cleveland, Shoes and Clothes for Kids, The Centers for Families and Children, Recovery Resources, Guidestone and the USO of Northern Ohio throughout the past two seasons.
"Nick and his wife, JoAnna, continue to deepen their commitment to youth and families in Cleveland," said Rebecca Kodysh, the Indians Executive Director of Community Impact. "The Swishers have demonstrated a passion for long-term community impact that embodies the ideals of Roberto Clemente."
The distinguished list of past national Roberto Clemente Award recipients includes 14 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:
| 1971 | Willie Mays+** | 1982 | Ken Singleton | 1993 | Barry Larkin+ | 2004 | Edgar Martinez |
| 1972 | Brooks Robinson+** | 1983 | Cecil Cooper | 1994 | Dave Winfield+ | 2005 | John Smoltz |
| 1973 | Al Kaline+ | 1984 | Ron Guidry | 1995 | Ozzie Smith+ | 2006 | Carlos Delgado |
| 1974 | Willie Stargell+ | 1985 | Don Baylor | 1996 | Kirby Puckett+ | 2007 | Craig Biggio |
| 1975 | Lou Brock+ | 1986 | Garry Maddox | 1997 | Eric Davis | 2008 | Albert Pujols |
| 1976 | Pete Rose | 1987 | Rick Sutcliffe | 1998 | Sammy Sosa | 2009 | Derek Jeter |
| 1977 | Rod Carew+ | 1988 | Dale Murphy | 1999 | Tony Gwynn+ | 2010 | Tim Wakefield |
| 1978 | Greg Luzinski | 1989 | Gary Carter+ | 2000 | Al Leiter | 2011 | David Ortiz |
| 1979 | Andre Thornton | 1990 | Dave Stewart | 2001 | Curt Schilling | 2012 | Clayton Kershaw |
| 1980 | Phil Niekro+ | 1991 | Harold Reynolds | 2002 | Jim Thome | 2013 | Carlos Beltran |
| 1981 | Steve Garvey | 1992 | Cal Ripken, Jr.+ | 2003 | Jamie Moyer |
+ Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
** Originally known as the Commissioner's Award (prior to 1973)
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 6th 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; and representatives from Chevrolet, MLB Network, MLB.com, ESPN, FOX Sports and TBS, among others.
Clubs playing at home on September 17th 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.