Atlanta Braves player Will Smith’s efforts to help his hometown of Newnan, Georgia, recover from a devastating tornado last March earned him the honor of being the Braves’ 2021 Roberto Clemente Award nominee.
“Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Roberto Clemente is a huge honor,” the pitcher told MLB.com. “I truly appreciate being nominated for such a great award.”
The tornado inflicted serious damage to homes, businesses and Newnan High School, much to the concern of Smith, whose family members all survived the storm, MLB.com said. At the time of the storm, Smith's parents were visiting him at spring training, MLB.com reported.
Smith, the Braves and his teammates contributed to aid the town. Smith made a $38,000 donation to the Coweta Community Foundation and Backpack Buddies of Georgia, which will provide ongoing funding for hotel accommodations and long-term housing solutions for dislocated disaster victims, youth programs for children affected by the tornado, food and family support programs and more, MLB.com reported.
The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the player who "best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field," according to MLB.com's web page about the award. Its namesake was a Hall of Fame right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates who was also known for his humanitarian works. Clemente died in 1972 in the crash of a relief plane he was accompanying to aid earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Baseball fans and members of the media vote on nominees, and the winner of the award will be recognized during the World Series, MLB.com said.
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