Pablo Lopez named Twins nominee for 2025 Roberto Clemente Award

      MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Major League Baseball today announced that right-handed pitcher Pablo López has been named the Minnesota Twins’ 2025 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for major leaguers. This is López’s second-consecutive nomination with the Twins and third of his eight-year career, as he was also the Miami Marlins’ nominee in 2022.

      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.

      “Pablo López embodies everything the Roberto Clemente Award stands for. He shows up every day with a relentless drive, unwavering character, and a genuine devotion to uplifting those around him,” said Twins President, Baseball and Business Operations Derek Falvey. “When we welcomed Pablo to Minnesota, we knew we were adding elite talent and an extraordinary teammate; he’s exceeded even those lofty expectations. On behalf of the Twins, I congratulate Pablo on this special recognition and thank him for inspiring us on the mound and in our communities.”

      More on Lopez’ nomination below:

Pablo López’s remarkable passion for serving others – especially youth – predates his career in Minnesota, but his unparalleled commitment to communities across Twins Territory sets him apart as a singular leader. One of the first things López did when he was acquired by the Twins in January 2023 was connect with the Minnesota Twins Community Fund (MTCF), kickstarting his charitable involvement with his new team. In nearly three full seasons since, he has continuously used his platform to improve the lives of others and uplift those around him; indeed, while his excellence on the mound has made him a fan favorite and an All-Star, López’s true impact lies in his extraordinary character.

Through his ongoing “Pablo Day” initiative, López leverages his starts at Target Field to bring more than $22,000 of financial support and awareness to local nonprofits representing causes he cares about: youth development, animal adoption, education and children’s health.

López’s ongoing support of local children’s hospitals is inspired by his late parents – both doctors – and his decision at age 16 to choose baseball over medical school. Now achieving his passion at the game’s highest level, healthcare remains close to Pablo’s heart; every September, he honors Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by visiting patients at Children’s Minnesota and M Health Fairview. López is a favorite of patients, appearing on Children’s Minnesota’s Star Studio TV network to play games and teach kids about pitching techniques.

Inspired by his lifelong enthusiasm for learning (evidenced by his medical school acceptance at age 16 and his near-fluency in four languages), López jumps at every chance to support students. In each of his three years with the Twins, he has taken underserved students back-to-school shopping to equip them with the supplies needed to be successful. Pablo has also visited local high school Spanish classes each spring to help students practice their foreign language conversation skills. In 2025, López took the initiative to develop and fund a school supply donation event with a goal of eliminating the supply gap educators are covering out of their personal bank accounts, while inspiring kids – especially students from the Twin Cities’ Venezuelan community – to learn the value of giving back.

Beginning with that initial phone call in January 2023, López has been a prominent supporter of the Twins Community Fund and its youth development programs. In addition to generous financial support (he’s donating $1,000 to the MTCF for every strikeout this season), Pablo lends his time and talents to encourage young people at MTCF programs. López has been a speaker at the Twins High School Leadership Academy, inspiring an audience of 100 baseball and softball captains from across Minnesota; he has helped coach young athletes at MTCF adaptive wheelchair clinics; and has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Twins’ first-ever Girls Baseball 14U Nationals Team this summer, welcoming them for an on-field experience and following their journey through the Baseball For All Nationals tournament. López frequently inquires about what MTCF is doing and how he can be part of it, and his unique ability connect with young people has made Twins Territory youth feel welcome, celebrated and inspired on baseball and softball fields.

López’s community outreach and support extends beyond Minnesota and the upper Midwest. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in 2022, Pablo volunteered with United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties to sort donations and support students in the Twins’ spring training home of Fort Myers, Florida, which sustained significant storm damage.

      Four past Twins nominees have been named winner of the Roberto Clemente Award – Rod Carew (1977), Dave Winfield (1994), Kirby Puckett (1996) and Nelson Cruz (2021). The Twins will recognize López prior to the club’s home game this evening against the New York Yankees, part of MLB’s league-wide celebration of Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One and the Twins’ spotlight on Hispanic Heritage Month.

      The leaguewide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be honored at the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One 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 features bios of each of the nominees, allows fans to vote until the end of the season on Sunday, September 28th. 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 the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 tribute to Clemente following his passing while delivering relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua on December 31, 1972. The list of past winners includes 20 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.