Michael Young Named Nominee for Roberto Clemente Award - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

Beginning today, Fans Can Vote for the National Award Recipient on MLB.com/ClementeAward and Register for a Chance to Win a Trip to the 2012 World Series.

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced that Michael Young was named the Texas Ranger's 2012 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Today marks the eleventh 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. Young 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.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. The Award is named for the 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. 

2012 Texas Rangers Roberto Clemente nominee Michael Young has been very involved in the community in Dallas-Fort Worth and across the United States during his twelve year playing career with the Texas Rangers. Michael earns the Texas Rangers Roberto Clemente nomination for a fourth consecutive year.

Michael Young's charitable giving includes a longtime partnership dating back to 2002 with Wipe Out Kids' Cancer (WOKC), a non-profit organization that aims to wipe out children's cancer through innovative research, education and treatment, while providing hope to children affected with cancer. Young has hosted a special group of "WOKC Ambassadors" each year for a Rangers home game presenting them with Rangers gear and the special opportunity to participate in a pregame ceremony on the field.

In 2005, Young helped furnish the outpatient physical therapy room at Children's Medical Center, providing much needed equipment for patient rehabilitation. In addition, Michael has served as Honorary Chair of the annual WOKC golf tournament, and in the last several years he has purchased Toys R Us gift cards for the Ambassadors and Target gift cards for their parents to assist them financially during the holiday season.

In 2006, Young began the Young Heroes Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to young adults across the United States that have overcome their battle with cancer and look forward to pursuing their dreams of college. To date, 95 college scholarships totaling more than $148,000 have been awarded, and each student has been provided with a laptop computer and printer.

In 2010, the Michael Young Family Hispanic Scholarship Program was established. Five Hispanic students have been given a total of $50,000 in scholarships to pursue their college dreams. These students also receive a laptop and printer.

Young has been actively involved by donating funds and time to organizations such as the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Goodwill of Tarrant Country, "Heroes for Children", Haiti and Japan relief efforts, Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Texas, Vernon Wells Perfect 10, Eddie Guardado Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Carson Leslie Foundation and the YMCA Aquatics Program.

Young also donated proceeds from his 2008 and 2011 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards to WOKC, the UCLA Foundation for Chicano Studies Research Center, Dallas RBI and Jr. RBI Program, the Charles and Cheri Ortega Children's Trust Fund in California, Mary's Mercy Center, CF Carr Elementary for technology, the Diamond Dreams Foundation Operation Smile and Double Discovery Center.

In July 2011, Michael and his wife Cristina announced the launch of their own charity, the Michael Young Family Foundation, which supports the involvement of children's health in all areas: physical social, mental, and educational.  Young's continuous philanthropic giving has earned him the Jim Sundberg "Community Achievement Award"; the WOKC Spirit of Little Mo Award for Philanthropy, Medical Achievement, Education/Awareness and Volunteerism; two nominations for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award; and four nominations for the Texas Rangers Roberto Clemente Award, including 2012.

Michael Young will be honored as the Texas Rangers 2012 Roberto Clemente nominee during a pregame ceremony on Saturday, September 29, 2012 when the team plays the Los Angeles Angels.

"It's important for the Texas Rangers to have players who consider their off- field accomplishments as important as their on- field accomplishments.  Michael Young epitomizes that philosophy and leads by example for his teammates and others in the community," commented Texas Rangers CEO and President Nolan Ryan. 

"I think that we owe it to the community to give back," said Young. "I am honored to be recognized as the Texas Rangers Roberto Clemente nominee and equally honored to be named as a finalist for the league-wide honor. We hope to make our involvement in the community grow even more in the future through the work of various community organizations we support and the Michael Young Family Foundation."

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

1971    Willie Mays+               1982    Ken Singleton              1993    Barry Larkin+              2004    Edgar Martinez

1972    Brooks Robinson+      1983    Cecil Cooper              1994    Dave Winfield+           2005    John Smoltz

1973    Al Kaline+                    1984    Ron Guidry                 1995    Ozzie Smith+              2006    Carlos Delgado

1974    Willie Stargell+            1985    Don Baylor                  1996    Kirby Puckett+            2007    Craig Biggio

1975    Lou Brock+                 1986    Garry Maddox            1997    Eric Davis                   2008    Albert Pujols

1976    Pete Rose                   1987    Rick Sutcliffe              1998    Sammy Sosa              2009    Derek Jeter

1977    Rod Carew+               1988    Dale Murphy               1999    Tony Gwynn+             2010    Tim Wakefield

1978    Greg Luzinski              1989    Gary Carter+              2000    Al Leiter                       2011    David Ortiz

1979    Andre Thornton           1990    Dave Stewart              2001    Curt Schilling              

1980    Phil Niekro+                1991    Harold Reynolds         2002    Jim Thome                 

1981    Steve Garvey             1992    Cal Ripken, Jr.+          2003    Jamie Moyer              

+ Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Beginning today, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the national award recipient by visiting MLB.com/ClementeAward to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2012 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 14th, and the winner of the fan poll will receive one vote among those cast by a selection panel.

All Clubs playing at home today will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while each visiting Club will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and the official dugout lineup cards.