Trout honored to be up for 'special, special' Roberto Clemente Award again

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- It was a frustrating season on the field for Angels superstar Mike Trout, who was limited to just 29 games because of a torn meniscus in his left knee that required two surgeries. But Trout still found ways to give back to the community and raise awareness for mental health and was named the Angels’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the fourth time in his career.

Trout was honored during a ceremony prior to Sunday’s game against the Astros and spoke Monday about how much being the club’s nominee means to him. The Roberto Clemente Award is considered baseball’s most prestigious individual honor and recognizes the Major League player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

“It means a lot,” Trout said. “It was a special moment Sunday going on the field. Just being in the same conversation with everybody across the league that was nominated, it's just a special thing. I've always tried to give back to the community every chance I get. So it’s a special, special award.”

The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be announced at the 2024 World Series after a selection by a blue-ribbon panel that includes representatives from the Commissioner’s Office, MLB-affiliated networks, the Baseball Hall of Fame, MLB.com and the Clemente family.

Fans can also vote for the Roberto Clemente Award at MLB.com/community/roberto-clemente-award (in both English and Spanish). The site, which has bios of each nominee, allows fans to vote through Sunday, Sept. 29. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the panel.

Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, was the organization’s nominee last year, and in 2020 and ’21. The Angels, however, have never had a player win the league-wide award since its inception in 1971.

Trout, who is signed with the Angels through 2030, is aiming to change that before his career is over, as he’s one of the more active players in baseball in terms of community efforts. His biggest cause is mental health after his brother-in-law Aaron Cox, a former Angels Minor Leaguer, died by suicide in 2018.

Trout and his wife, Jessica, have made it their mission to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. Trout became an MLB Mental Wellness Ambassador last season as part of the MLB Together campaign.

The Trouts work closely with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and worked with Tiny Turnip, an apparel company, to create the Your Game Isn’t Over Yet; campaign. The design has a baseball and glove in the shape of a semicolon, which is the symbol for suicide prevention.

Trout also takes time to meet with military personnel and often visits hospitals to spend time with young children and try to lift their spirits. He partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Angels Baseball Foundation to bring special moments to children going through unimaginable circumstances.

This year, Trout played catch with Samuel, a 15-year-old patient from South Carolina with a brain tumor and spent time with 9-year-old Colston from Las Vegas who visited Angel Stadium before starting his cancer treatment. He also met Atticus, a 17-year-old cancer patient, during one of his routine hospital visits and surprised him with a birthday party at Angel Stadium. Atticus had the chance to watch batting practice on the field before celebrating his birthday with Trout and his teammates Logan O'Hoppe, Zach Neto, Hunter Strickland and Patrick Sandoval. And Trout also records countless videos to encourage children as they deal with illnesses and setbacks.

For his Roberto Clemente Award nomination, Trout chose JR98 to be the recipient of the MLB Charities’ donation. JR98 was founded by Toni, Anthony and Carlos Ramirez, the family of Tampa Bay Rays bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez, who died by suicide in 2022. The organization focuses on mental health and suicide prevention through education and community service.

Manager Ron Washington said it was an honor to celebrate Roberto Clemente Day on Sunday and believes Trout is the perfect representative for the Angels because of how much he gives back and cares about others.

“He was a Hall of Famer and one of the best in the business before he lost his life in a tragic way,” Washington said. “It's nice that baseball had found a way to celebrate because he was Mr. Baseball. It wasn’t just what he did on the field but he did a lot for his country. And Mike Trout, you couldn’t give it to a better guy.”