Roberto Clemente Award

The Roberto Clemente Award honors excellence on and off the field in professional baseball.

Award History

Established in 1971 as the Commissioner Award, it was renamed to honor Roberto Clemente who died in a plane crash while helping earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Rockies Nominate Freeland

The Colorado Rockies announced Kyle Freeland, their homegrown starting pitcher drafted in 2014, as a 2026 Roberto Clemente Award finalist.

Freeland's Community Work

Freeland and his wife Ashley have raised funds for Special Olympics Colorado and attended regionals regularly since he was living in Grand Junction.

Profit Sharing for SOCO

Freeland has organized custom and memorabilia auctions with all proceeds going to SOCO year-long training and competition for local athletes.

Mentorship for Young Players

Freeland mentors young ballplayers in Colorado on grip patterns and game mechanics, answering questions about baseball.

Rockies' Pride

The Rockies highlight Freeland's community impact as bigger than his baseball career, benefiting his team and local community.

Nomination Announcement

The Colorado Rockies announced Kyle Freeland as a 2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominee with voting open through September 14, 2026.

“Congratulations to Kyle Freeland on being named our 2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominee 💜 Vote for Free: https://t.co/nKpX0pqBR3”