Eric Hosmer Named Royals 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, announced that Eric Hosmer was named the Kansas City Royals 2014 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Hosmer 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.
Hosmer is involved in a number of community outreach efforts, but his main focus is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City (BBBSKC). He first got involved with the organization during the 2012 season - his first full season in the big leagues - and serves as a local spokesperson for the program.
In 2013, Hosmer partnered with BBBSKC to create his own event - Step Up to the Plate with Eric Hosmer - which gives potential Bigs an opportunity to learn more about becoming a Big Brother, Big Sister or Big Couple. In two years of the event, BBBSKC has received nearly 80 new Big applicants. In addition, Hosmer welcomes potential Bigs and Littles to Royals games on select dates throughout the season. He provides tickets to the group, arranges for them to watch batting practice prior to the game and takes part in a special meet-and-greet. These Royals experiences have resulted in a dozen matches. He also makes monthly donations to BBBSKC and provides private lessons and other auction packages for various BBBSKC fundraisers that have raised $10,000 for the organization.
In addition to his work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, Hosmer, the son of a retired Miami lieutenant fire fighter, also hosted a unique fundraising event - Uncork for a Cause - on September 14 to benefit the Greater Kansas City Fire Fighters Local 42 Community Assistance organization. He arranged for several teammates and special guests to attend the event, which featured the official release of his very own wine, in addition to live and silent auctions.
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.