Peralta's support of Latin community leads to Clemente Award nom

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MILWAUKEE -- Freddy Peralta paid enough attention in math class to understand that there’s strength in numbers when it comes to charitable giving.

With education as the focus of the 28-year-old right-hander’s off-the-field efforts, Peralta crisscrossed the clubhouse during Spring Training to solicit donations from fellow Latin American players and gave what he collected to The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which for years has been teaming up with the Brewers to provide scholarships for college-bound students. It’s added up to more than $150,000, which is one reason Peralta is the Brewers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor.

Fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One via MLBTogether.com/clementeaward. The site, which features a bio of each nominee in English and Spanish, allows fans to vote through the end of the regular season.

“Well-deserved,” said Brewers Community Foundation executive director Cecilia Gore. “The biggest thing in my mind is [Freddy is] constantly energizing his teammates to help us.”

“He strongly encourages them all to give something -- $500, $1,000, it doesn’t matter -- towards that effort,” said Katina Shaw, the Brewers’ vice president of community relations. “The last two to three years, he has been able to get all of the Latin players to give, and BCF has matched those donations. He’s been great, and he’s very specific in wanting to do things to support the Latin community.”

That’s been his focus from the very beginning, Peralta said.

“Sometimes parents are struggling to get money to send their kids to school and give them a better life,” Peralta said. “It’s hard for everyone, but I know it can be especially hard for the Latinos here. I wanted to help them get an education to try to take people out of bad situations. I’m giving them opportunity.

“And it’s not just me. I know a lot of the other guys on the team care about this and do their own thing. I just happened to take over the [scholarship] part.”

In doing so, Peralta is continuing a tradition started by outfielder Carlos Gomez, whose support of LULAC earned him a commendation from then-Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in 2016. He passed the torch to pitcher Wily Peralta and catcher Martín Maldonado, who in turn passed it to Freddy Peralta, who was acquired by the Brewers as a teenager in 2016, made his Brewers debut in 2018 and then committed to the club with a five-year contract extension in 2020 that includes club options for 2025 and ‘26.

“I think my first year was 2021, and it was fun when I got invited to the presentation and saw how happy they were about it,” Peralta said. “You look around and say, ‘This is something good.’ That’s why I keep doing it. Let’s see how long we’re going to go.”

When the Brewers return from their next road trip, Peralta is expected to be on hand as LULAC awards the scholarships he helped fund. And later in September, he is co-chairing the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee signature gala in support of their mission to increase economic prosperity and grow Latino influence in Wisconsin.

“Every year, it gets better and better and better,” Peralta said. “I’m going to keep doing all I can.”