Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has won the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual player honor. The Roberto Clemente Award is the MLB equivalent of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in the NFL. This prestigious honor is awarded annually to the player whose humanitarian efforts exemplify off-the-field service.
Representing the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Salvador Perez has been named the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award Winner! pic.twitter.com/QjBv8eYsB7
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) October 28, 2024
Pérez was nominated by the Royals for his efforts to build communities in his native Valencia, Venezuela, and his adopted home in Kansas City. Pérez is the first Royals player to win the award and will formally receive the honor on Monday before Game Three of the World Series.
“When we do something, we do [it] because it’s coming from my heart. I don’t like to do things because somebody asks me to do it. When I sit with my mom and want to do something, we just do [it]. We don’t have to post anything on social media. I don’t like that. If I do, I do it for my heart. I want to make people happy.”
Royals Catcher Salvador Pérez Wins 2024 Roberto Clemente Award
The 34-year-old catcher has spent his entire 13-year career with Kansas City and is the fourth captain in Royals history. Pérez is one of the most beloved players in baseball. He is known for his smile, personality, and postgame water cooler showers. The nine-time All-Star helped Kansas City win the World Series in 2015 and was unanimously named the World Series MVP. Pérez helped lead the Royals to the 2024 American League Division Series, marking their first postseason appearance in nine years.
Kansas City fell to the Pirates on Roberto Clemente Day in Pittsburgh, where the Hall of Fame outfielder spent his 18-year career. After the game, Pérez donated his catcher’s gear to the Clemente Museum. Clemente died in a plane crash trying to deliver aid to Nicaragua in 1972.
Of his many contributions, Pérez says his work in Venezuela is his proudest. Every year, Pérez and his mother, Yilda Diaz, distribute food and kitchen supplies to families in Valencia. His youth baseball league provides free gear and clinics to more than 220 children while promoting education and safety.
“Everything starts where you’re coming from. So [if] you make it to this level, you have [the] opportunity to help people. Venezuela is part of my heart. That’s the country that gave me the opportunity. And I started playing baseball when I was 4 years old, so it means a lot to me.”
In addition to the Roberto Clemente Award, Pérez could win his fifth Silver Slugger after batting .271 with 27 home runs and 106 RBI.
Main Photo Credits: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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