CLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians pitcher Brad Hand has been named the 2020 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious award honoring a Major League player who represents the game with character both on and off the field.
Hand is one 30 club nominees for the annual award. Hand and his wife Morgan immediately got involved in the community when he arrived in Cleveland from San Diego. In 2019, Hand developed the Helping Hands program, which brings children from the Northeast Ohio Boys and Girls Program to Northeast Ohio. In 2020, his organization went virtual, surprising those in recovery at Ohio Guidestone’s Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation program.
“It’s a great award, and I’m honored to be our nominee this year for the Cleveland Indians,” Hand said in a statement. “The award itself means you’re being a good teammate, a good person, trying to give back in the community in whatever way you can be. Obviously, with two young kids, I just want to show them how to be giving and it’s something we want to instill in them to help out in the community.”
In the past year, Hand and Morgan have involved their children in giving back by having them do a gift shopping event for a family during the holidays. His daughter Lila made bracelets and sent them to Cleveland area nursing homes during the pandemic.
Last year, Cleveland Indians Carlos Carrasco was given the award.
“Carlos Carrasco’s work and Roberto Clemente Award in 2020 inspired our entire organization to do even more in our community in 2020,” said Vice President of Communications and Community Impact Curtis Danburg. “Brad and his family have picked up right where the Carrascos left off, uniting our Northeast Ohio community through generous donations and programs giving back to multiple organizations across our city.”
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be selected via a blue-ribbon panel, including Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., representatives from MLB-affiliated networks, MLB.com, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr.
Fans can vote for the award here.
