Monday, October 27, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025         

On Monday, Major League Baseball announced Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the Roberto Clemente Award.

The Roberto Clemente Award is the most prestigious award in baseball. It is awarded to the player who exemplifies superior character both on the field and through their charity work. This award is in honor of the late Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve in 1972, flying supplies to Nicaragua, which was devastated by an earthquake.

The 2025 season was a difficult season offensively for Betts. Just before the Dodgers began the season in Japan, he caught a stomach bug, causing him to lose 20 pounds. This affected Betts’ offense. He had a .258 batting average with 20 home runs and 86 RBI.

For the first time in baseball history, Betts, in his thirties, has become a shortstop after playing Gold Glove right field. He has turned himself into a Gold Glove shortstop. He has prevented countless runs from scoring. He bailed out his pitchers from possible huge rallies. To be a Gold Glove finalist, Betts spent hours before each game practicing his defense.

From the beginning of his time in Los Angeles, Betts has been helping his new community. He fed the homeless. He continually visits sick children. He established a 50/50 foundation to empower youth in underserved communities with groundbreaking sports programs and programs focusing on physical and mental health. He helped intensively after the Eaton Fire. In Nashville, his hometown, he created an innovative basketball program. He always has been active in the Dodger Foundation. This year, Mookie and Brianna Betts held a Pickleball Event to raise funds for their foundation

Betts’ character and desire to give back to his community hasn’t been questioned.