Francisco Lindor wins Roberto Clemente Award for first time in long philanthropic career
A five-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glover, four-time Silver Slugger winner and a runner-up in both Rookie of the Year and MVP voting, Francisco Lindor is familiar with the spectrum of awards that are handed out late in the year.For several reasons, the hardware he received in 2026 means a bit more.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.
“To me this honor, this award, it’s probably one of the most important awards in MLB,” said Lindor, the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award.“Just because it’s not about myself.
It’s about my family, my parents, how much they have instilled in me to give and share the blessings that I have had.”The Roberto Clemente Award is bestowed upon the player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” MLB says.The Mets’ star shortstop had been nominated for the humanitarian award in every year since 2023, and his fourth nod brought recognition that is particularly resonant for a Puerto Rico native.The accolade is earned, with Lindor pouring time and money into endeavors from education to leadership in communities in Queens, his high school alma mater in Florida and his home island.Through a partnership with New Balance, he annually provides hundreds of students with backpacks and school supplies.
He has donated more than $1 million to Montverde Academy in Florida.New this season was “Lindor’s Leaders,” a leadership initiative for Bayside High School’s Sports Medicine Program.“I didn’t go to college,” Lindor said over Zoom late last week.
“My education comes through the lower school, middle school, high school, and through the people I’ve met in my life that have put me in conversations, that have put me in rooms to gain knowledge.And that’s kind of the thing I do with the high s...