Major League Baseball announced that Trevor Williams was named the Pittsburgh Pirates 2019 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, the most prestigious individual award for Major League players.

The Roberto Clemente Award 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.

Every year, each MLB Club nominates a player to be considered for the Award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character. Wednesday, September 18 marks the 18th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially acknowledge local 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.

  Williams is one of the 30 MLB Club nominees for the annual award and will be honored tonight in a pregame Clemente Day on-field ceremony at PNC Park as the Pirates honor the life and legacy of the great Roberto Clemente.

There are countless examples of Williams’ commitment to the community, but none more impactful than his “Project 34,” a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to positively impact the lives of individuals living with a spinal cord injury. In 2018, when Trevor and close friend, Cory Hahn formed the nonprofit with the mission of raising money to assist with the purchasing of medical equipment and assistive devices, and providing grants to individuals who cannot afford physical therapy.

While at Arizona State University, Williams’ teammate, Hahn, suffered an in-game spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Hahn wore the jersey number 34, and Williams, following his second season in the Major Leagues, decided to change his jersey number in his teammates honor. The decision was not only a show of support, but an opportunity to raise awareness for the approximately 285,000 people across the United States who have spinal cord injuries.

Williams has become a visible and hard-working advocate for Project 34, providing social media exposure and encouraging teammates to become involved and help promote the organization’s work. Since Project 34’s launch, Trevor and his wife Jackie have personally championed the cause, including hosting families at the ballpark who have been impacted by spinal cord injuries.

In 2018, Williams hosted the first Project 34 Day at PNC Park in partnership with Pirates Charities, bringing together 35 spinal cord injury patients and their families for a day. In addition, this past offseason, Project 34 hosted their initial fundraising event, Dingers in the Desert, in Arizona.

Trevor has shown personal investment and initiative in making Project 34 a success, not just in honor of his friend and partner Cory, but for all of the families and individuals with spinal cord injuries who are able to improve their quality of life, thanks to Project 34 and their efforts.

In addition to Project 34, Williams still remains active in his support of Pirates Charities and their initiatives, including his support of the Miracle League programs and Miracle League athletes in Pittsburgh and Bradenton, Fla. He has participated in Pirates Winter CARE-a-van service projects, volunteered to spend time with families in need, and stayed after games to share his faith with fans as a part of the Pirates annual Faith Night.

The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be selected via a blue-ribbon panel, including Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., representatives from MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS) and MLB.com, as well as Vera Clemente (the late Roberto’s wife & MLB Goodwill Ambassador). Beginning today, fans can vote for the overall winner of the Roberto Clemente Award via a dedicated website. The site will feature bios of each of the nominees and will allow fans to vote until the end of the season on Sunday, September 29th. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel. Fans are encouraged to vote by visiting the following link: mlb.com/clemente21.

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.