Furbush, Cano up for community awards
SEATTLE -- Mariners reliever Charlie Furbush was named Monday as the Mariners' nominee for the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet, while Robinson Cano is one of seven finalists for the MLB Players Association's Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.
Furbush has been an active participant in the Mariners Care Cystic Fibrosis Golf Tournament as well as the Mariners Caravan during his five seasons with Seattle, and he has been one of the club's most-consistent relievers over that span as well.
Each Major League team selects one finalist for the annual Clemente award, which recognizes the player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement.
Furbush is currently on the 60-day disabled list with a left biceps and shoulder injury, but posted a 2.08 ERA in 33 appearances while holding opposing hitters to a .122 batting average before going on the DL in early July.
Furbush, the Mariners' players union rep, has hosted the Cystic Fibrosis charity golf event the past two years, helping raise $410,000 for CF research.
The 29-year-old also is an active supporter of the annual Toys for Kids program that provides holiday gifts for children in hospitals and homeless shelters each December. Furbush has made many visits to area hospitals, including Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Kadlec Medical Center in the Tri-Cities and Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.
This Wednesday will be MLB's 14th annual Roberto Clemente Day. Beginning that day, fans can participate in the process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award by visiting ChevyBaseball.com to vote for one of the 30 nominees. Voting ends on Friday, Oct. 9, and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 World Series, where the winner of the award will be announced.
MLB has been honoring players for community services since 1971. In 1973, the award was named after Clemente, the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Three Mariners have won the Clemente Award -- Harold Reynolds in 1991, Jamie Moyer in 2003 and Edgar Martinez in 2004.
Cano, meanwhile, was one of seven players selected as finalists for the Marvin Miller award through an Internet poll on mlbplayers.com between Sept. 10-13 to determine which players inspire others to higher levels of achievement by their on-field performances and contributions to their communities.
Cano was selected as the American League West nominee. He's joined by Adam Jones of the Orioles (AL East), Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers and David Robertson of the White Sox (tied for the AL Central), Dee Gordon of the Marlins (National League East), Skip Schumaker of the Reds (NL Central) and Justin Turner of the Dodgers (NL West).
Those seven will have their names placed on the 2015 Players Choice Awards ballot to determine this season's Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award winner. Players Choice Awards ballots will be distributed to all Major League players this Wednesday during a league-wide vote for numerous awards.
Cano founded the RC22 Foundation to impact the lives of underserved children and communities both locally and globally. Since signing with the Mariners last year, Cano has expanded the foundation to Seattle.