For work with kids, Jansen up for Clemente

Catcher Danny Jansen is the Blue Jays’ nominee for the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award, awarded annually to a player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Since making his Major League debut in 2018, Jansen, now 25, has been actively involved with Jays Care Foundation and the work they do not just in Toronto, but from coast to coast in Canada.

“I’m honored to have been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award,” Jansen said in a statement. “During my time with the Blue Jays, I have had the opportunity to meet fans from coast-to-coast-to-coast, and am grateful to have the platform to give back to the communities that cheer us on.”

As Canada’s team, the Blue Jays have the most unique market in Major League Baseball with plenty of ground to cover. Jansen has seen plenty of the country on the club’s annual Winter Tour, going as far west as Calgary, Alberta, and as far east as Halifax, Nova Scotia. While in Calgary, Jansen had his first experience as a baseball camp instructor while coaching a clinic for young players in the area.

In Toronto, Jansen made a visit in 2019 to St. Michael’s Catholic School, where he spoke to students about the value of being a good teammate and living a healthy lifestyle. He also spoke to them about the importance of their education and staying committed to their studies along with their athletics and extra-curricular activities.

Jansen also visited Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in 2019 along with teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and many others. The staff and facilities at Holland Bloorview work to support children and youth living with disability, medical complexity, illness and injury. While there, Jansen visited with the young inpatients at the hospital, where the players could take photographs, sign autographs and take part in activities in the hospital’s gym.

“On visits to a local inner city school and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as traveling the country on Winter Tours in Calgary and Halifax, I’ve met some incredibly special kids and fans along the way,” Jansen said. “They are as much an inspiration to us as we are to them. I look forward to continuing to be a presence in communities throughout Canada, along with the Blue Jays and Jays Care Foundation.”

This past fall, Jansen donated athletic apparel to Jays Care Foundation’s James Bay Girls at Bat program, a life promotion program that sets the goal of helping female indigenous youth develop life skills and peer connections through baseball. Participants in the program travel from remote northern Indigenous reserves in Ontario twice a year for week-long leadership retreats.