PHOENIX — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge won Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for character, community involvement and philanthropy on Monday.
Judge was to be presented the award before Game 3 of the World Series. He is the fourth Yankees player to receive the honor after Ron Guidry (1984), Don Baylor (1985) and Derek Jeter (2009).
A five-time All-Star and the 2022 American League MVP, Judge established his All Rise Foundation in 2018. It supports youth in New York and in California’s San Joaquin and Fresno counties, near his home.
His foundation hosted baseball camps in both states and has awarded grants supporting Bridge2College, NYC Autism Charter Schools, Tourette Association of America, the Edward C. Merlo Institute of Environmental Technology, the Resiliency Center of Fresno and the Birch Family Services. The foundation supported students to attend California leadership conferences.
Judge partnered with initiatives to encourage positive social media behavior and to recognize health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Clemente, a Hall of Fame outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972, while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Now 31, Judge hit an AL-record 62 home runs in 2022, breaking the mark Roger Maris had held since 1961. He tied for the big league lead with 131 RBIs and hit .311.
Judge batted .267 with 37 homers and 75 RBIs in 106 games this year, missing extensive time because of a toe injury sustained while crashing into the Dodger Stadium fence in June.
He just finished the first season of a $360 million, nine-year contract with the Yankees, who finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.