Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced the names of the 30 Club nominees, including twelve 2011 MLB All-Stars, for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. The annual award recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. Tomorrow will mark the tenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. It is named for the 12-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank this year's nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award for their exceptional dedication to giving back to their communities," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Roberto Clemente was a legendary baseball player, but what he accomplished off the field made him a true hero in his extraordinary life. Major League Baseball is proud that our players continue to follow in his footsteps, and we are honored to preserve his legacy of making a difference in our world through the game's most prestigious off-field award."

"Receiving the Roberto Clemente Award was one of the greatest honors of my career because of what it represented," said Cal Ripken, Jr., Baseball Hall of Famer, TBS analyst and 1992 Recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award. "It is all about how we use the platform that baseball has provided to try and make a difference. There are a lot of guys doing great work in the community and this is a good way to put the focus on them."

The 30 Club nominees of the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet feature 12 players selected for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game:

The distinguished list of national Roberto Clemente Award recipients includes 13 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

"During our centennial year, we at Chevrolet join MLB in celebrating the life and legacy of Roberto Clemente," said Chris Perry, Vice President of Marketing, Chevrolet. "Through our sponsorship of the Roberto Clemente Award, we pay tribute to those who choose to follow in his footsteps by serving as role models for fans of all ages."

Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the national award recipient by visiting www.chevybaseball.com/clemente, a site powered by MLB.com and created specifically for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet platform, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on October 9, and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2011 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

The winner of the fan poll will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel, which includes Commissioner Selig; Vera Clemente, MLB Goodwill Ambassador and wife of the late Hall of Famer; Baseball Hall of Famer, TBS analyst and former Roberto Clemente Award winner Cal Ripken Jr.; MLB Network analyst, TBS broadcaster and former Roberto Clemente Award winner John Smoltz; MLB Network analysts and former Roberto Clemente Award winners Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds; ESPN analyst and former Roberto Clemente Award winner Barry Larkin; ESPN analyst and former MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra; and MLB.com senior correspondent Hal Bodley.

All Clubs playing at home on September 14 will acknowledge their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game.

As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and the official dugout lineup cards.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.