San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski knows all about the legacy.
He knows about it through his grandfather Carl, who was a contemporary of Roberto Clemente, even though the two played in different leagues.
On Monday, the 34-year-old native of Andover, Massachusetts, was named one of 30 finalists for the Roberto Clemente Award, one of the most prestigious individual awards in baseball.
If he wins the award, he would join Giants legend Willie Mays, who won the first award in 1971, before the award was renamed after Clemente.
This would also give him an advantage over his grandfather, as Carl Yastrzemski, a former Triple Crown winner and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, never won the award.
After Mike Yastrzemski hit his 100th career home run earlier this month, he and his grandfather became the fourth grandfather-grandson duo in baseball history to each hit at least 100 home runs in their careers.
The Roberto Clemente Award is presented annually to a major league player who best represents the sport of baseball through his or her exceptional character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.
His participation in the “Mustache May” trend sparked his interest in raising awareness about mental health issues and he helped create an official campaign to give back to the community and focus on mental health, as well as raise awareness of resources to support teammates and fans.
Yaz’s work has expanded to support mental health services for military personnel, veterans and their families, with all proceeds from the sale of his Mustache May merchandise going to the Heart and Armor Foundation, which supports mental health research.
In addition, he is involved in hosting veterans events at Oracle Park, leading care package events for returning service members, and supporting the nonprofit organization Family House, where he regularly visits children suffering from cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.
Last year’s winner was New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. The winner is usually announced each October during the World Series.
Other recent winners of the award include Justin Turner (2022), Nelson Cruz (2021), Adam Wainwright (2020), Carlos Carrasco (2019) and Yadier Molina (2018).
Sunday is Roberto Clemente Day, which honors Clemente’s legacy as a humanitarian and officially recognizes each club’s nominees. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards, and a customized tribute video to Clemente and the 30 Roberto Clemente Award nominees will be shown at all MLB ballparks.
Clemente, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, died on December 31, 1972, while distributing relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The Puerto Rican native was a 15-time All-Star, two-time World Series winner, 12-time Gold Glove winner, four-time National League batting champion and 1966 NL MVP.
