Salvador Perez, the Kansas City Royals’ captain, was nominated for a top Major League Baseball accolade on Monday: the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award.
This is Perez’s third nomination in four years.
This yearly award honors baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Each major league team nominates a finalist—someone who exemplifies the game through exceptional character, community involvement, philanthropy, and good achievements both on and off the field.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees won the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. Perez supports the Carlos Fortuna Foundation in Colombia and collaborates with Sarah’s Soldiers to promote awareness and cash for ALS research. Perez also supports other foundations, including Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer and the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy. Last month, he made news for playing Wiffle Ball with KC youth in a nearby area.
The 2024 Roberto Clemente Award winner will be recognized during the World Series. Fans can vote for their favorite nominees from now until September 29. (Royal supporters can vote for Perez here.) The eventual winner will be selected by a blue-ribbon panel. The fan vote winner will have one vote in the panel decision. “I cannot think of a better guy to be nominated and hopefully win that award,” said former Royals player Eric Hosmer. “Salvy has accomplished so much in his career that many people are unaware of. … I am rooting for him to win this award because he is not going to go out and promote himself.
“I think all of us in Kansas City and connected to Kansas City can do a good job of helping him because he deserves this.” The Royals will face the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Roberto Clemente Day, which is on Sunday, September 15. Clemente spent 18 years with the Pirates, so this will be a special occasion. All players and on-field personnel will have a “21” patch on their uniform sleeves. Perez, along with the other 29 Roberto Clemente Award nominees (and prior recipients), can wear 21 as their uniform number that day.
The Royals will face the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Roberto Clemente Day, which is on Sunday, September 15. Clemente spent 18 years with the Pirates, so this will be a special occasion. All players and on-field personnel will have a “21” patch on their uniform sleeves. Perez, along with the other 29 Roberto Clemente Award nominees (and prior recipients), can wear 21 as their uniform number that day. All active Roberto Clemente Award recipients will have a “21” patch stitched on the back of their baseball caps.
