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On Monday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced that Adam Wainwright is the recipient of the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award. The Roberto Clemente Award, given to those with tremendous on-field leadership and off-field selflessness, is the game’s most prestigious individual honor.
Each year, one player from each team is nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award. This year was the second year in a row that Wainwright had been nominated for the honor and the fifth time in his career. The award is voted upon by a committee that features Commissioner Rob Manfred, representatives from MLB Network, ESPN, FOX, and TBS, as well as Roberto’s three children.
Long awaited, more than deserved.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) December 7, 2020
Adam Wainwright is your 2020 Roberto Clemente Award Winner! pic.twitter.com/SKcyCoo8rw
Wainwright founded Big League Impact back in 2013 to deliver food, drinking water, and shelter to those in need across the globe. Big League Impact has raised more than $5 million since it was launched. Current and former players from around the game have been involved, including Kyle Gibson of the Rangers and former Mets star David Wright.
Adam Wainwright becomes the 6th #Cardinals player to win he Roberto Clemente Award along with Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina. An organization that has always had the culture of being first class, community involved, charitable & Winners
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) December 7, 2020
There’s no doubt that Wainwright has been a leader of the Cardinals for more than a decade, and that doubt was notably absent in a pandemic-affected year like 2020. Wainwright started 10 games for the Cardinals and maintained a 3.15 ERA — his lowest for a season with more than 30 innings pitch since 2014. Wainwright got a lot of deserved love from the national media when he tossed a complete game against the Cleveland Indians on his 39th birthday.
Wainwright, as we know, is currently a free agent, as is his longtime battery mate, Yadier Molina. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told KMOX over the weekend that “.. we might have some more clarity on that [what is in store for Wainwright and Molina] in the near future.”
So, as always.. stay tuned.