Major League Baseball announced that former Rays pitcher Jason Adam was named the Tampa Bay Rays 2024 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for Major Leaguers.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

As part of the annual program, each MLB Club nominates one player to be considered for the league-wide Award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character.

Jason was an integral member of the St. Petersburg community, going above and beyond every chance he could to help each guest of the Rays create lifelong memories and feel like a member of the team.

Prior to every Monday home game, the Rays host players and coaches from Buddy Baseball, A League of their Own and St. Petersburg Challenger League, which are non-competitive recreational leagues serving individuals with unique abilities in the Tampa Bay community. As part of the Magic Monday program, the participants join Rays players on the field for batting practice and serve as honorary coaches for the National Anthem before enjoying the game in a suite. In addition, these groups participate in the annual Rays Baseball Magic Clinic at Tropicana Field. The players, alongside their buddies, experience the magic of Rays baseball in various stations throughout the clinic, including a game on the field. Jason served as a pitcher for the Baseball Magic Clinic in 2023 and consistently was the first person to greet the guests on the field.

Before every Tuesday home game at Tropicana Field, the Rays host a child from the Make-A-Wish Foundation or Children’s Dream Fund at the ballpark as part of a special program called “Tuesday’s Champion.” Tuesday’s Champion presented by RIPA & Associates invites the kids, along with their families, to be on the field during batting practice where they can meet and interact with Rays players and coaches. The children selected for the program are battling life-threatening illnesses. Jason went above and beyond to visit with each child and their families, developing relationships and often staying in touch with the families to hear how the children’s treatment and progress are going.

Jason has taken time to give back, not only in St. Petersburg, but also on road trips throughout the season. Alongside teammates, he has volunteered by serving meals at local Ronald McDonald Houses, which keep families close to their children while receiving treatment in pediatric hospitals.

Jason also supported youth education programs including Reading with the Rays. Reading with the Rays, presented by Suncoast Credit Union, encourages kids to avoid summer reading loss by participating in a fun and interactive reading program over the summer months. More than 540,000 Tampa Bay area school children have participated since its inception.

In the clubhouse, prior to games, Jason can often be found completing crossword puzzles. He was one of two players to represent the Rays at this year’s Voices of Hope for Aphasia “Word Play” crossword puzzle-themed gala. Voices of Hope for Aphasia’s mission is to reconnect people living with aphasia, in the Tampa Bay area and across the country, with their lives through innovative programs.

As the Rays nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, Jason received $7,500 from MLB Charities to donate to a charity of choice. Jason and his family elected to send the donation to International Justice Mission, a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts.

Sunday, September 15th marks the annual Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy as a humanitarian and to formally acknowledge Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a customized tribute video to Clemente and the 30 Roberto Clemente Award nominees will be shown in all MLB ballparks on Roberto Clemente Day as well as on MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.tv, Club sites and MLB Social Media Platforms.

The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One will be honored at the 2024 World Series following selection by a blue-ribbon panel. This panel includes representatives from the Commissioner’s Office, Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr. Beginning today, fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One via MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (in both English and Spanish). The site, which will feature bios of each of the nominees, will allow fans to vote until the end of the season on Sunday, September 29th. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel.

The concept of honoring Major League players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award.” The recognition was renamed to the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 as tribute to Clemente following his passing while delivering relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua on December 31, 1972.