Major League Baseball announced each team’s nominee on Tuesday.
Kyle Higashioka has been named the New York Yankees‘ nominee for the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award.
Fans can vote on the award here.
The Roberto Clemente Award goes to the player who best represents baseball through character, community involvement & philanthropy.
For his work with inner-city youth & his @SOFWarriorFnd fundraising, Kyle Higashioka is our nominee. Vote for Higgy here: https://t.co/8aY5s7ViaQ pic.twitter.com/TqnRh3opxR
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 14, 2021
From the MLB release naming Higashioka the Yankees’ nominee:
“Higashioka credits his rise to the big leagues in part to the efforts of the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., of which he is a proud alumnus. Growing up in Huntington Beach, Calif., Higashioka was one of the first youth athletes to compete at the academy, which opened in 2006. He has since helped support the program in various ways, volunteering his time in the offseason, hosting online auctions to raise money and positively expanding its social reach.
“In addition to his work with inner-city youth, Higashioka is also a devoted supporter of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the families of fallen and severely wounded special operations warriors and children of all Medal of Honor recipients. Higashioka held a special online fundraiser this past June that featured a raffle of his game-used commemorative Memorial Day baseball equipment to support SOWF’s efforts. The initiative produced a total donation of more than $10,000 and helped provide positive and continuing social media support and recognition.”
The Roberto Clemente Award annually recognizes “the MLB player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
Fans are able to vote for the award through the end of the regular season on Oct. 3. The fan vote, with the votes cast by a blue ribbon panel, will select the league-wide winner of the award.
The last member of the Yankees to win the award was Derek Jeter in 2009. Current Yankee first baseman Anthony Rizzo won the award while with the Chicago Cubs in 2017.
