Today, the Atlanta Braves and MLB have announced that Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider is Atlanta’s nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award.
The award is named in honor of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente and recognizes a player who, “best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions both on and off the field.”
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Each MLB team nominates one player for the award with the completed list and ways to vote outlined here. Fans can cast a vote for one of the nominees through September 28 with fan voting being part of the selection process.
The following is Strider’s merit for nomination:
Spencer Strider and his wife Maggie are very active in the foster care community through various programs throughout the year. Beginning in 2024, the Striders created Foster Family Fridays, a community program in partnership with the Atlanta Braves Foundation and Georgia Kids Belong, that treats local foster care families to VIP gameday experiences. Additionally, the Striders have set up weekly visits to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, frequently bringing guests and Braves teammates such as Ozzie Albies and Spencer Schwellenbach.
Originally introduced in 1971 as the Commissioner’s Award, it was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award in 1973 after Clemente was killed when the plane he was a passenger on crashed while carrying emergency relief goods to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on December 31, 1972. Clemente was still an active player when he died, having collected in 3,000 career hits at the end of the 1972 season.
Three Atlanta Braves have won the award since its inception: Hall of Fame starting pitcher Phil Niekro (1980), two-time National League MVP outfielder Dale Murphy (1988), and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz (2005).
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Annually, September 15 is Roberto Clemente Day across all of MLB.