Salvador Perez Named Recipient of the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award

By  Lissete Lanuza Sáenz

CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 26: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals runs out a double during the sixth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 26, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 26: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals runs out a double during the sixth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 26, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been named the 2024 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award. Perez is set to be formally presented with the award, one of the most prestigious individual player honors in MLB, during a pregame conference at Yankee Stadium before Game Three of the World Series, which is tonight (October 28). 

The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his team.” The award, which was named the Commissioner’s Award, was renamed Roberto Clemente Award in 1973 in honor of Clemente, a Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash in 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. 

“It means a lot to me,” Perez told MLB.com about the award. “I’ve read a lot about Roberto Clemente. I know he was an amazing player, but he was even better outside the field. So that’s what made him super special. And it makes this award super special.”

Baseball fans and members of the media vote for the Roberto Clemente Award. In addition, a panel of MLB affliates including Commissioner Mandred, Roberto Clemente’s children, and former players helped with the selection. His team nominated Perez for his efforts to build healthy and active communities in his native Venezuela and his baseball home of Kansas City. He is the first member of the Kansas City Royals to ever win the award.

Among the reasons why Perez was picked is the fact that each winter Perez and his family head to his hometown of Valencia, Venezuela to deliver bags of food and kitchen supplies, the fact that he has paid for dozens of surgeries for kids with cleft lips, and his annual delivery of toys to children’s hospitals. Perez also owns a youth league in Valencia.

Likewise, Perez is very involved in charitable endeavors in Kansas City, where he has partnered with organizations like Sarah’s Soldiers, which fights ALS and works with Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer to provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences for terminally ill kids. Perez is the Kansas City Royals team captain. 

To learn more about the Roberto Clemente Award here.

baseball mlb roberto clemente Salvador Perez