OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland A's infielder Tony Kemp has been named the Club's 2021 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions both on the field and in the community. The Roberto Clemente Award is the most prestigious individual award for Major Leaguers. Kemp will be recognized as the A's 2021 nominee during a pregame presentation on Monday, Sept. 20, when the team returns home for its final homestand of the regular season.

Wednesday, Sept. 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 the 30 Club-nominated award nominees. As part of the league-wide celebration, all players and on-field personnel will wear a "21" patch on their uniform sleeves. 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.

Kemp, a utilityman on the field for the A's, has also become a utilityman for the community. In 2020, Kemp established his +1 Effect campaign, which encourages constructive conversations about race, systemic racism, and his own life experiences. Since the launch of the campaign, Kemp and his wife, Michelle, have had hundreds of conversations with teammates, fans, and even those outside of the baseball community -- continuing the idea that changing one mind at a time helps to create a +1 Effect.

In addition to the work he does through his own campaign, Kemp is an active member of the Players Alliance, which works to create an inclusive culture within baseball and the community in order to elevate racial equality and provide greater opportunities for the Black community in our game and in the places we live, play, and care about most. Through the Players Alliance, Kemp participated in a panel with local little league athletes. During his discussion with the youngsters, Kemp emphasized the importance of prioritizing education in addition to a passion for baseball. To demonstrate the importance of a strong educational foundation, Kemp had the youth athletes stand on a book and stand on a baseball -- showing which one provides the most stability in life.

This season, Kemp has also teamed up with Players for the Planet and One Tree Planted to help plant trees in urban communities. Kemp has pledged to plant 100 trees for every stolen base and extra base hit he records throughout the season. Through this player partnership, A's corporate partner PG&E has also joined to match all of Kemp's tree donations, helping to increase the impact of this program.

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), MLB.com, as well as Roberto's three children. Fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award via mlb.com/clemente21. The site will feature bios of each of the nominees and will allow fans to vote until the end of the season on Sunday, Oct. 3. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel.