Nick Markakis named Orioles nominee for the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet
Beginning Tomorrow, 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 Markakis was named the Orioles 2014 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Markakis 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. Tomorrow (Wednesday, September 17th) marks the 13th 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.
Markakis earned the Orioles nomination due to his work with many charities in and around the Baltimore community, including Casey Cares, Rose Street Community Center, American Heart Association, Lungevity Foundation, Baltimore City and County Public Schools, Pathfinders for Autism, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Orioles Charitable Foundation, and Orioles Military Appreciation Program.
In 2014, Markakis and his family made several financial contributions to the club and its charities, most significantly $75,000 to the Orioles Charitable Foundation. Markakis also donated to the Orioles Military Appreciation program, providing a catered suite, t-shirt, hat and meet and greet to select military members every Sunday home game and also contributed to the OriolesREACH Gameday Experience Program giving at-risk children the opportunity to experience an Orioles game.
Nick and his family served as "Race Ambassadors" for the Casey Cares 5K Run for the third consecutive year. They welcomed 2,100 runners at the starting line to kick-off the race. The race earned over $108,000 dollars for the Casey Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides uplifting programs for critically ill children and their families.
Markakis is also serving as the Orioles spokesperson for the 2015 American Heart Association Heart Walk. AHA is a non-profit organization that fosters cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The Markakis family has annually attended the Orioles Holiday Party for Kids the last six years, playing games, serving food, and purchasing gifts for children from a selected inner city public school. They also purchased winter coats for the Rose Street Center, a community-based, multi-cultural youth and family development organization.
The Casey Cares Foundation will be receiving Chevy's donation on behalf of Markakis winning the award, and Markakis will match that donation with a contribution to the Rose Street Community Center.
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.