MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Major League Baseball today announced that centerfielder Byron Buxton was named the Minnesota Twins’ 2022 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for Major Leaguers.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. As part of the annual program, each MLB Club nominates one player to be considered for the league-wide Award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character.

On the field, Buxton is a one-of-a-kind five-tool talent whose deft defense in the outfield is paired with a propensity for the longball in the batter’s box. He set a new single-season career high in home runs in 2022 and ranks in the top five in MLB in at-bat-to-home-run ratio (minimum 600 at-bats) since 2020. The 2022 American League All-Star starter won a 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award in the outfield and was the 2017 AL Platinum Glove Award winner, given annually to the best overall fielder in each league. Buxton was also the Twins’ nominee for the MLB Players Alumni Association’s Heart & Hustle Award in 2017 and 2019, in recognition of who he is as a person and as a ballplayer.

Off the field, Buxton uses his platform to support a variety of groups and initiatives, including military families. His older brother, Felton, serves in the U.S. Navy, giving Byron and his wife, Lindsey, first-hand knowledge of the sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. This knowledge allows them to continuously manifest new and memorable experiences for servicemembers and their families, including hosting members of the Minnesota National Guard for a game of catch in the outfield at Target Field. For the past four seasons, Buxton has also invited servicemembers and their families to participate in his “Buxton’s Battalion” program every Tuesday home game at Target Field. Participants are invited to watch batting practice and have a meet-and-greet with Buxton prior to watching the game. Buxton brought his Battalion online during the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, recording personalized videos to share with families when in-person experiences weren’t possible. 

In addition to his work with military families, Buxton is a champion of the Twins’ organization-wide commitment to empowering the full potential of our youth. Throughout his career he has attended numerous Twins RBI Glove Giveaways, distributing free baseball and softball gloves to participants in the Twins RBI program prior to the start of their season. He has also served as a captain during Twins Week of Service volunteer events and traversed the Upper Midwest on Twins Caravan stops, bringing smiles to fans and communities across the region. Additionally, the outfielder – who spends his offseasons in his home state of Georgia – has flown back to Minnesota in December solely to attend holiday parties at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in the Twin Cities, handing out presents and making memories for sick children and their families.

“Byron Buxton’s dedication to helping the Twins win is all-encompassing, from contributing to the success of our ballclub to making a difference in the lives of people from all walks of life across Twins Territory,” said club President & CEO Dave St. Peter. “From the moment he set foot in Minnesota we knew he would be a special part of our organization for years to come, and we’re honored and humbled to nominate him for this prestigious award.”

This is Buxton’s first time being nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award in his eight-year major league career. Four past Twins nominees have been named winner of the award – Rod Carew (1977), Dave Winfield (1994), Kirby Puckett (1996) and Nelson Cruz (2021).

Thursday, September 15 marks the 21st annual Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy as a humanitarian and to formally acknowledge Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks. Additionally, a customized tribute video to both Roberto and his wife Vera – Momentito (in English and Spanish) – will be shown in all MLB ballparks on Roberto Clemente Day as well as on MLB Network, MLB.com, Club sites and MLB Social Media Platforms.

The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One will be selected via a blue ribbon panel, including Commissioner Manfred, representatives from Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr. Beginning today, fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One via mlb.com/clemente21 (English) and LasMayores.com/clemente21 (Spanish). The site will feature bios of each of the nominees and will allow fans to vote until the end of the season on Wednesday, October 5. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel.

The concept of honoring Major League players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award.” The recognition was renamed to the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 in honor of 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.