Baltimore Orioles Hanser Alberto in Running for Clemente Award

The Baltimore Orioles nominee for the coveted Clemente Award is a perfect candidate.

Like Roberto Clemente, the Baltimore Orioles second baseman, Hanser Alberto, showcases all that is good about professional baseball.

But, Alberto has tough competition, as there are many deserving candidates for the award as MLB players from all over the world give back to their communities. What separates Alberto from the rest of the nominees is that he is one of the lowest paid.

He is up against players like Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Cabrera, and Jason Heyward who have some of the most lucrative contracts in baseball. Only two nominees make less than Alberto and his $1.65 million base salary: Danny Jansen and Brent Suter. Hunter Pence is nominated and currently is without a team, but over his career, he’s made over $130 million.

Alberto, a native of the Dominican Republic, was nominated for the award for several reasons. He learned empathy and perseverance from his baseball-playing father after he lost his hand in accident and learned to play ball one-handed.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic began in the spring, Alberto worked with other MLB players to bring necessities to people in his Dominican community. He also helped people in Baltimore by sharing health announcements in Spanish.

In the off-season, he worked with Mike Elias at Fort Meade. The pair played board games with active duty service members for two days at Maryland’s largest military base. Also during the off-season, he recorded videos to help children build their baseball skills. You can find the videos on Orioles website in the Kids Corner.

Also in the off-season, before the pandemic began, Alberto played in the “Game of Legends” in the Dominican Republic. He and other MLB players raised money for the St. Jude Foundation. He also donated toys to over 500 children in the Dominican Republic.

If you would like to vote for Alberto, visit the MLB site: mlb.com/clemente21. Outside of Orioles fans, Alberto is not a household name like Stanton, Trout, and many other nominees are. Helping him win this honor would bring much-needed recognition to him and the Orioles.