Former Baseball: Ex-Cajun Lucroy nominated for Clemente Award

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, September 15, 2015

 

(Photo: Gannett)

 

Former Ragin’ Cajun and current Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been named one of 30 club nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award, according to mlb.com.

Fan voting to help determine the award winner begins Wednesday, which is also MLB’s “Roberto Clemente Day,” at ChevyBaseball.com.

Jimmy Rollins, previously with the Philadelphia Phillies and now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Paul Konerko, who retired from the Chicago White Sox last season, shared the honor in 2014.

According to mlb.com, “the award recognizes a player who best represents the game through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement,” and it is “an effort to pay tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others.”

Each MLB team nominates one player.

Clemente, a 12-time All-Star and Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer, died Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Lucroy played three seasons for UL from 2005 through 2007, helping the Cajuns to two NCAA Regional appearances in that span. The 2014 All-Star was selected by Milwaukee in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft.

According to a release from Baird, a wealth management firm that honored Lucroy in May as its Wisconsin state Community Involved Player of the Year, the catcher is active with “Camp Hometown Heroes, which holds a week-long overnight summer camp for children of fallen U.S. service members, and he closely works with Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, a Wisconsin-based organization that flies veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials created in their honor.”

Lucroy is hitting .259 with seven homers, 41 RBI and 50 runs scored this season, but has missed five straight games due to a mild concussion. He also spent time earlier this season on the disabled list with a broken toe.

Lucroy also was nominated for the Clemente award in 2013.