Roberto Clemente

 Roberto Clemente was one of the best major league players during his time and is known as one of the greatest baseball players ever.  He had played for a long time and had always contributed to his teams success. “Roberto Clemente played 18 seasons for the Pirates. He had a .317 batting average, 240 home runs, 1,305 RBIs and 1,416 runs scored” (“Roberto”). This shows that Roberto was an extraordinary player who was outstanding in every stat.  The average major league player has a batting average of around .250.  Since Clemente was able to hold a batting average of .317 throughout his entire career, it shows how amazing he really was. This can be further seen when, “He won 12 Gold Glove awards, 1 MVP award, 1 World Series MVP award and 2 World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973” (“Roberto”).  12 gold glove awards show he was the best player at his position for 12 seasons out of his career in the MLB.  For any player to win a single award is very impressive and very challenging.  For Reberto to win 17 combined awards, it is an amazing accomplishment.  In addition, winning a World series is considered one of the hardest things to do in the sport.  Many amazing baseball players will play in the major league for many years and never win a world series.  Roberto Clemente had one two Worlds series in his career which shows how great he truly was. A final example is, Roberto Clememte was 1 of 33 players to ever have at least 3,000 hits in his Career(“3,000”).  There have been tons of people who got the chance to play in the MLB. This proves how remarkable Clemente was.  Add this to his humanitarian efforts, and he is a truly great person who left a massive impact on Puerto Rican and American society. Overall, Clemente should be recognized as one of the greatest baseball players ever.

 Roberto Clemente is known as very helpful to many other people and made many heroic acts to try to help his country. Clemente has attempted many heroic acts just to make a difference.This tragic story of Roberto states, 

Clemente decided to collect supplies on his own and personally deliver them. The plane took off at 9 p.m. where It reached an altitude of only 200 feet before exploding and plunging into the ocean. Rescue workers were sent out immediately, but  The bodies were never found. The news hit Puerto Rico hard–one friend of Clemente described it as the ‘night that happiness died’ (History).

This story illustrates Clemente was so devoted to what he believed that he would help people when nobody else would. This is the reason that he is seen by many as a selfless and genuinely great person. Even if Clemente could only make a small difference to someone, he would still give all of his effort to give people an opportunity. Furthermore, “He worked 14-hour days, including Christmas Eve and Christmas, circling the island to stage local relief drives and conduct baseball clinics. Clemente’s committee raised more than $150,000 in donations and collected 26 tons of food, clothes and medicine” (History).  Even though Roberto Clemente has reached the MLB, and his dream is achieved, he still went back to his home country to help the people he grew up with and loved. He stayed true to himself even after all of the wealth that came with being in the MLB because he couldn’t be changed by greed.  Clemente always wanted to do more and find a way to change someone’s life. To dive deeper into these selfless acts, Roberto Clemente was MLB’s most beloved humanitarian.  Clemente worked tirelessly to promote greater opportunities for people in his community, both within baseball and outside of it.  Clemente held many baseball clinics for underprivileged youth to help them experience the enjoyment he found in baseball.  He also delivered significant financial aid to people in his native Puerto Rico (Project).  This shows how Clemente viewed his opportunity in the MLB.  He didn’t use it for himself and his own wealth, but instead gave back to the people of his own country, so other children and families could relive the same dream that he worked his entire life for. He paved a way for many young children to live out their dream.  All in all, Clemente’s life and career should be recognized for more than just his stats, and other aspects of his life should be rejoiced more.

   Roberto Clemente has been a huge influence on many people’s lives. His legacy is still remembered today and will carry on forever. Major League Baseball stated,“In his honor, MLB annually presents the Roberto Clemente Award to recognize the player who best represents the game of Baseball through sportsmanship, community involvement and positive contributions, both on and off the field” (“MLB”).  The MLB recognizes Roberto Clemente as somebody who puts others before himself.  The MLB association has many experts that know a lot about the sport. If all of this was said about Roberto Clemente, then he must have achieved everything and more.  This award named after him shows how much he contributed to the world and the many lives he changed during his career.  Clemente's legacy lives on because Roberto  Clemente is one of the greatest athletes and humanitarians of the 1900’s. For Puerto Rican citizens he is one of the most beloved symbols of national pride, not just for the records he set but for the lives he touched with his activism (Perez).  Roberto was viewed as someone who acts with what they believe, no matter the circumstances. He always wanted to improve a situation and act for the right thing.  This is why he is so respected and loved all throughout the MLB community.  His country's love for him is shown when,“In 2016, No. 21 was officially retired across the island, from the professional winter league named after Clemente down to the youth level” (Wagner). This demonstrates the mark Roberto Clemente had left on so many people. His number was retired in an entire country. This means that no one is able to wear the number 21. This act happened as a sign of respect and honor. They are giving recognition to Clemente and all of the heroic actions he has done. Overall, Clemente had left a major influence for many people and his actions will not be forgotten. 

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