This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ST. LOUIS – Reds left-handed reliever Brent Suter knows his primary job is to help his team win games, provide innings from the bullpen and support his teammates. But Suter understands the game is also a vehicle to do so much more off the field.
Doing community outreach and serving others turbo boosts Suter's already outgoing personality and desire to help others. For the second consecutive year, it also made him the fitting choice to be Cincinnati's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.
“To even be associated with his name is an honor," Suter said. "This guy was like a saint. He was unbelievable, on and off the field. He’s a big hero of mine. I’m trying to live my life with the impact he made on people.”
Each year, the Roberto Clemente Award is given by Major League Baseball to one player – among 30 club nominees – "who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field."
Getting nominated again was extremely meaningful for Suter.
“It’s really, really humbling and really amazing," he said.
Until this year, an active player had not served as a board member for the Reds Community Fund. Suter became the first one to join during the offseason.
The Reds Community Fund, a non-profit group, is highly active in the region, bringing not only baseball and softball to underserved areas but also meals, equipment, shoes, education, school supplies and more to kids.
It perfectly fit Suter's mission off the field, and the offer to join was easy to accept.
“It was definitely a no-brainer," Suter said. "It’s something that will continue post-career. I’m so grateful to the Reds. They make participating in community events so easy and awesome to be a player in this organization and have an impact on the fanbase.”
Suter is in his second season with the Reds, but his ties to Cincinnati run deep. He's been an area resident since 1997 and graduated from Moeller High School.
Among his newer community endeavors in 2025, Suter teamed with recently retired Bengals star Sam Hubbard and Shoes 4 the Shoeless.
“I was inspired by Sam Hubbard at one of the events I went to last year during our offseason," Suter said. "I said, ‘I want to do that.’ So we had the shoe drive at Xavier Jesuit Academy in February. It was an amazingly awesome time. The Reds Community Fund helped pitch in and were driving the bus on that one.
“Now that he’s retired, [Hubbard] has got more time to do stuff. We’re very excited about that partnership. It’s another one that will last beyond the career.”
In June, Suter joined center fielder TJ Friedl and other Reds teammates to welcome patients from Cincinnati Children's Hospital for a reverse autograph signing. At the event, it was the kids who autographed cards for the players.
During an off-day in July, Suter worked at the RCF's annual community makeover – this time in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati. Suter, who lived in that part of town when he got married, spent time at the local rec center and with the charity, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, helped build beds for families in need.
The newer community work is on top of efforts Suter was already involved with, like his time spent for Joe Nuxhall Miracle League in Hamilton, Ohio, ALS Triple Play, Make-a-Wish, working with youth ballplayers at the P&G MLB Youth Academy and visiting kids at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Long an environmentalist who believes in promoting sustainability, Suter also works closely with La Soupe, which rescues food set to be wasted and makes soups and meals for the city's less fortunate. He supports Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and is an ambassador for Players for the Planet and Ocean Conservancy. His initiative called "Protect Where We Play" works to eliminate plastic waste at sports venues.
"We all want to win. We all want to play this game and have fun with this game, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to remember the runs you gave up," Suter said. "You’re going to remember how you treated people and how you were as a teammate and how you impacted communities and fanbases."