When Josiah Gray reached the Major Leagues, he wanted to use his place in baseball for more than what he could do on the mound. Giving back is a priority for the 25-year-old, and this season he is being recognized as the Nationals’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee.
“It’s huge to be nominated this year,” Gray said at his recent community event, Glow & Throw with JoJo. “It’s something I’ve always sort of dreamed of being a nominee for. … Being able to give back to the community and be a guy that can say ‘I was a nominee’ — and hopefully an award-winner of it — it’s a lot. To see what Roberto Clemente did in the game and to be able to have my name sort of attached to that, it means a lot.”
The annual Roberto Clemente Award is presented to the big league player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
Gray quickly got involved in the D.C. community after being acquired by the Nats from the Dodgers in 2021. He has been the official player ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy since 2022, supporting year-round youth development programs with baseball and softball players.
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