Certainly, Roberto Clemente’s name holds gravity for all MLB players.
Perhaps David Bednar, a Mars native who grew up a rabid fan of the Pirates and now pitches out of their bullpen, can appreciate Clemente’s legacy even a little bit more.
If that’s true, then, the Pirates’ announcement Thursday may stir some special emotions within Bednar. He was named the Pirates’ finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award on Thursday afternoon, an award given annually to the MLB player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
“It is incredibly humbling to be nominated for this award,” Bednar said in a press release. “Growing up in Pittsburgh I was fortunate to have a greater understanding of who Roberto was as a player and, more importantly, as an incredible human being. It truly is an honor to be nominated for this award. I hope to continue in honoring the Clemente name with the Pirates by helping others in need and spreading the love of the game throughout the community.”
As part of that annual award, each MLB team nominates one player to be considered for the leaguewide award.
Bednar certainly meets those qualifications, which makes sense. Since getting traded back to his hometown Pittsburgh before the 2021 season, he has been an active participant in the Pirates’ community outreach efforts.
This past winter, Bednar helped out in a Thanksgiving dinner distribution event, personally loading cars of community members with food and items they would need for a holiday dinner.
Bednar has also given back to his alma mater, Mars High School, specifically, spearheading a donation of baseball equipment to his old elementary school. Then, Bednar led a group of first-graders through a baseball-themed gym class and has also hosted several baseball camps with his father, Andy, back in Mars.
In July, Bednar and four of his teammates participated in the Pirates Charities Miracle League Fantasy Camp. The Miracle League is a baseball organization set up to accommodate those with special needs who might not be able to play baseball otherwise. Bednar both led the pitching station at the fantasy camp and helped host a 3-year-old from the miracle league named Kayden at PNC Park the next day.
Bednar and Kayden, who is currently battling leukemia, went around the clubhouse, hung out at Bednar’s locker and went out onto the PNC Park field together pregame.
The Pirates also put together a basket auction, containing each player’s “favorite things,” which included signed, game-worn items. The proceeds from those were donated back to Pirates Charities.
The winner of the leaguewide award will be voted on by a panel that includes MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, representatives from Capital One and MLB’s affiliated television networks, as well as Roberto Clemente’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Jr. Fans can also have a say by voting at mlb.com/clemente21. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the aforementioned panel.
MLB has given out the Clemente Award each year since 1971. Two Pirates have won it previously: Willie Stargell in 1974 and Andrew McCutchen in 2015.
