MLB Unveils 30 Nominees for 2026 Roberto Clemente Award Ahead of Clemente Day

Major League Baseball announced the 30 Club nominees for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One on Monday, setting the stage for Roberto Clemente Day on Tuesday, September 15. The list includes seven 2026 All-Stars and 14 first-time nominees, among them Pete Alonso (Orioles), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals), Francisco Lindor (Mets), Justin Verlander (Tigers) and Carlos Rodón (Yankees). Fan voting is now open through the end of the regular season.

The award, first established as the Commissioner’s Award before being renamed in 1973, honors the player from each of MLB’s 30 clubs who best represents the game through character, community involvement, philanthropy and on-field excellence — the same qualities that defined Roberto Clemente himself. The Pittsburgh Pirates legend hit .317 over 18 seasons, collected exactly 3,000 hits, won 12 straight Gold Gloves and led Pittsburgh to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971, capturing Series MVP honors in the latter. He died on December 31, 1972, when a cargo plane carrying earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua crashed shortly after takeoff from San Juan — a humanitarian mission he had personally organized after hearing earlier aid shipments were being diverted before reaching victims.

Who’s In the Running for the 2026 Award

Each of MLB’s 30 franchises submits one nominee, and this year’s crop leans heavily on established stars mixing accolades with community work. Schwarber, Verlander, Rodón and Lindor headline a group that also includes Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks), Josh Hader (Astros), George Springer (Blue Jays), Christian Yelich (Brewers), Will Smith (Dodgers) and Julio Rodríguez (Mariners). Fourteen players are first-time nominees, including Dansby Swanson (Cubs), Austin Riley (Braves), Jordan Walker (Cardinals) and Logan Webb (Giants), reflecting a broader trend of younger stars building off-field profiles earlier in their careers. Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe represents the club most closely tied to Clemente’s legacy, while Reds catcher Jose Trevino and Padres reliever Jason Adam round out a list built around sustained, often years-long charitable commitments rather than one-off gestures.

Fans can cast votes at MLBTogether.com/ClementeAward, available in both English and Spanish, with voting open through Sunday, September 27 — the final day of the regular season. The fan vote counts as one vote among those cast by a blue-ribbon panel that includes representatives from the Commissioner’s Office, Capital One, MLB Network, MLB.com, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Clemente’s own children, Luis, Roberto Jr. and Enrique. For fans following the races closely enough to have opinions on postseason contenders, checking the latest MLB odds alongside the Clemente vote has become something of a September tradition in cities with nominees still in playoff contention.

Why Roberto Clemente Day Still Resonates

Established by MLB in 2002, Roberto Clemente Day also opens National Hispanic Heritage Month each September 15, tying the league’s tribute to a broader cultural moment. Clemente was the first Latin American player elected to the Hall of Fame, entering in 1973 after the institution waived its standard five-year waiting period following his death. He remains the benchmark by which MLB measures the intersection of on-field greatness and off-field generosity, and to this day countless Latin American players wear No. 21 in his honor.

The leaguewide winner will be honored during the 2026 World Series, joining a list of past recipients that has included players from nearly every corner of the sport. With voting open for less than two weeks, campaigns from all 30 fan bases are expected to intensify as the regular season winds down — particularly for nominees like Witt Jr. and Lindor, whose teams are chasing postseason positioning. Bettors tracking those late-season races can find context in World Series odds, since several Clemente nominees play for clubs squarely in the October picture.

Beyond the vote itself, the nomination class underscores how deeply community work has become woven into the sport’s identity. From Verlander’s continued support for military families to Alonso’s charitable investments in Baltimore since his trade to the Orioles, this year’s nominees reflect the full range of what the award has always tried to celebrate — not just talent, but the sense of responsibility Clemente carried both on the field and in the moments that mattered far beyond it.