Jason Motte Named Cardinals Nominee For the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award Presented By Chevrolet

Beginning tomorrow on Roberto Clemente Day, fans can vote on ChevyBaseball.com
for the national recipient and register for a chance to win a trip to the 2014 World Series

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 16, 2014) – Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, today announced that Jason Motte was named the Cardinals’ 2014 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Motte is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual Award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement.

Each Club nominates one player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet in an effort to pay tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Wednesday, September 17^th marks the thirteenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet and to honor Clemente’s legacy. The 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

What began in 2010 as a small idea to provide support for cancer patients has evolved into the mission of the Jason Motte Foundation led by Jason and his wife Caitlin. Since then, Motte has embraced the initiative and taken it to another level. One of his most successful ventures has been his “K Cancer” t-shirt which even features a Clemente quote printed on the inside: “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.” Earlier this year, Jason rolled out the t-shirts league-wide backed by a player on each team. Together, the players held a Strikeout Cancer Day on September 2^nd with activities across MLB ballparks.

In addition, Motte regularly hosts large scale fundraisers in St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee, represents Cardinal Glennon’s Homers 4 Health and K’s for Kids initiative, volunteers as a Pen Pal for the local nonprofit Great Circle, and served as an honorary chair for the 2014 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure – just to name a few of his 2014 activities.

“Jason is truly a one-of-a kind player. We’re so proud of the work he’s done this year and the impact he’s left on the community –both locally and across Major League Baseball,” said Michael Hall, Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care. “We see Jason spending so much of his spare time interacting with cancer patients on social media and visiting them at area hospitals. But it doesn’t stop there. He truly cares for the individuals and for their families- checking in regularly with a friendly text message or leaving tickets for them when they need a break for the hospital. He’s a perfect example of what Clemente stood for.”

“I’m so honored to be nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award,” said Motte. “I see his quote every time I put on my K Cancer shirt, and I do my best to live those words. It’s such an honor to be recognized in this way.”

Motte will be recognized tomorrow at Busch Stadium during a pre-game ceremony as part of Roberto Clemente Day festivities across the league. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and the official dugout lineup cards.

Beginning tomorrow, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the national Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet recipient by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on Sunday, October 6^th and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2014 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel. The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel of dignitaries, which includes Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig; MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred; MLB Goodwill Ambassador and wife of Roberto Clemente, Vera Clemente; and representatives from Chevrolet, MLB Network, MLB.com, ESPN, FOX Sports and TBS, among others.

Last year’s national recipient was Cardinals’ nominee Carlos Beltran.

The distinguished list of past national Roberto Clemente Award recipients includes 14 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

+ Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

** Originally known as the Commissioner’s Award (prior to 1973)