The Atlanta Braves and Major League Baseball announced Thursday that starting pitcher Spencer Strider is the team’s nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award.
The award, named in honor of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, recognizes a player who “best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions both on and off the field.”
Each MLB club selects one nominee. Fans can vote through September 28, with voting factored into the final decision.
Strider and his wife Maggie have been active in the foster care community. In 2024 they launched Foster Family Fridays, a program with the Braves Foundation and Georgia Kids Belong that gives foster families VIP gameday experiences. The couple also makes weekly visits to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, often joined by teammates such as Ozzie Albies and Spencer Schwellenbach.
The award was first introduced in 1971 as the Commissioner’s Award and renamed for Clemente in 1973 after his death in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente had just reached 3,000 career hits before his passing.
Three Braves have previously won the honor: Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro (1980), two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy (1988), and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz (2005).
