Major League Baseball today announced that Kyle Seager is the Seattle Mariners 2021 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, the most prominent individual player award bestowed by MLB.

The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of a player from each MLB club 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.

Wednesday, September 15, marks the 20th Annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy as a humanitarian and to officially acknowledge local Club nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award.

Beginning today, fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award at mlb.com/clemente21. The site features bios of each of the nominees. Fans can vote until the end of the season on Sunday, October 3. The winner of the fan vote will count a one vote, along with those cast by a blue ribbon panel.

Over his 11 seasons with the Mariners, Kyle Seager has been an All-Star and Gold Glove winner. He is among the Seattle Mariners Top Five All-Time Leaders in Hits, Doubles, Home Runs, RBI, Runs, Total Bases, and Games.

He has also consistently, often behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, helped to make a positive impact on the lives of youth and families in our communities.

Seager is one of only a few athletes in professional sports to help raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence. In 2021, he teamed for the seventh year with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) to serve as a spokesperson for the Refuse To Abuse campaign which promotes healthy, respectful relationships. He also supports the annual Refuse To Abuse 5K that raises funds and celebrates the resilience of DV survivors and the power of community. The 2021 Refuse To Abuse 5K, held both virtually and in-person at T-Mobile Park, raised over $113,000.

Kyle has also supported youth with critical illnesses in a variety of ways including visits to local children’s hospitals, fulfilling wishes for kids at the ballpark, and leading fundraising campaigns for pediatric cancer research and family support programs.

In 2011, while playing for Seattle’s AA affiliate in Jackson, TN, Seager met an 11-year-old boy who had the same heart surgery Seager had as a baby. Through that contact, Seager discovered then that by sharing his own story, he could help kids who were going through similar experiences and challenges, and let them know that they can still achieve their goals and do anything they want to do.

Seager has helped grant wishes and entertain kids from Make-A-Wish who have wished to come to the ballpark and meet the Seattle Mariners. In 2020, Kyle also helped the Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington chapter transition their annual WOW: Wonder of Wishes in-person fundraising luncheon into an all-new virtual event. Seager reunited with Wish Kid Kylie, two years after her wish came true, to share their story and highlight the power of a Wish. The virtual event raised over $169,000 to help support kids waiting for wishes due to delays from COVID-19 and ensure Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington can grant wishes at an unprecedented rate when it is safe to do so.

Seager is also a supporter of Seattle Children’s Hospital where he has helped bring smiles and hope to patients during visits to the Seattle Children’s Heart Center, hosted kids at the ballpark, and supported various fundraising events over the years.

In 2016, Kyle teamed up with the Vs Cancer Foundation to create the Kyle Seager Vs Cancer campaign. Vs Cancer is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of children by funding international cancer research projects and supporting local children’s hospitals. The campaign raised over $23,000 for Seattle Children’s and Strong Against Cancer through pledges made for each hit Seager recorded during the season.

Seager also supports charities such as the American Heart Association, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Mariners Care, the Seattle Mariners nonprofit foundation.