PHOENIX, AZ – Reigning American League MVP and Captain of the New York Yankees Aaron Judge has been named the 2023 recipient of Baseball’s most prestigious individual player honor – the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One. Judge, nominated by the Yankees for his efforts to support kids in California and New York through the ALL RISE Foundation, is the fourth Yankee to win the Award, joining Derek Jeter (2009) and back-to-back recipients Ron Guidry (1984) and Don Baylor (1985). Judge will receive the Roberto Clemente Award during a pregame press conference before tonight’s Game Three of the World Series presented by Capital One at Chase Field.

Judge, who was nominated by the Yankees for the first time, has made meaningful contributions in the following ways:

• Founded the Aaron Judge ALL RISE Foundation in 2018, with the mission to inspire children and youth to become responsible citizens through activities that encourage them to reach unlimited possibilities.
• ALL RISE has supported thousands of youth from communities close to Judge’s heart – California’s San Joaquin County & Fresno County as well as his baseball home in the Bronx, NY.
• In 2023, the ALL RISE Mini-Grant Program, which is awarded three times a year, has supported six organizations including Bridge2College, NYC Autism Charter Schools (NYCACS), Tourette Association of America, Edward C. Merlo Institute of Environmental Technology (SUSD), Resiliency Center of Fresno and Birch Family Services.  To date, the program has supported over 27 community-based organizations, public and private agencies, and faith-based organizations.
• Also in 2023, ALL RISE sent a delegation of 17 junior high school students from Linden Unified to attend the California Association of Directors of Activities and the California Association of Student Leaders (CADA and CASL) Modesto Central Valley Spring Student Leadership Conference. In 2019, ALL RISE provided registration and transportation for 118 students in California to one of three leadership conferences including the Modesto Spring Student Leadership Conference, the Woodland Fall Student Leadership Conference for high school students, and the Woodland Fall Student Leadership Conference for middle school students.
• Judge and ALL RISE also partner with the #ICANHELP and the "I Can Help Delete Negativity" initiatives aimed at combating toxic behavior on social media by spreading positivity online. Additionally, in 2020, Judge represented Major League Baseball in The Real Heroes Project, a collaborative program that was created to recognize and celebrate healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Since the foundation’s inception in 2018, Aaron has hosted multiple baseball ProCamps in California and New York. In 2023, local youth attended the Aaron Judge ALL RISE Baseball ProCamp at Fordham University in the Bronx.

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

Judge was selected from a list of 30 Club nominees by a distinguished panel that included Commissioner Manfred, Roberto Clemente’s children – Enrique, Luis and Roberto Jr., former players (including former Roberto Clemente Award winners), and journalists from MLB-affiliated network & media partners – MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN, TBS and MLB.com. Additionally, each year, fans are given the chance to vote via MLBTogether.com/Clemente21.  Judge was recognized as a nominee on Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, which was held on September 15^th throughout Major League Baseball. Each September since 2002, Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day to recognize Clemente Award nominees and celebrate the Hall of Famer’s indelible legacy.