LOS ANGELES – Before stepping on the field for Game 3 of the 2025 World Series against the Blue Jays, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was named this year’s recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One.
Betts became the fourth member of the Dodgers – Steve Garvey [1981] and Clayton Kershaw 2012] and [Justin Turner 2022] are the others – to win the prestigious award. Betts is known for his exploits on the field, winning the 2018 American League MVP and playing in four World Series, winning three of them. But Betts’ contributions outside of Dodger Stadium are many. It’s the reason he was nominated by the Dodgers for his many extraordinary efforts.
The way Betts was talking during the press conference on Monday, The Clemente Award is the most gratifying of his career. The honor makes up for the up-and-down season he had in the batter’s box during the regular season. Remember, Betts suffered from an undisclosed illness toward the end of Spring Training and didn’t fully recover until after the All-Star Break.
“We don’t really do a whole lot of things to be recognized for it,” Betts said. “We just kind of do it out of the goodness of our hearts. But to be recognized is really nice, and especially after this year, going through all that I went through, the changes of moving [from right field to shortstop] and I’m not playing very well [in the batter’s box].
“My on-the-field things are irrelevant to [the Clemente Award]. … It’s really cool just to be able to hold up this award and to know that this had nothing to do with baseball.”
Mookie Betts Founded 5050 Foundation
Founder of the 5050 Foundation, Betts is dedicated to breaking barriers for underserved youth through four core pillars: mental/emotional health, nutrition, financial literacy, and physical fitness. Additionally, his foundation raised more than $100,000 through community fundraising efforts this March.
Betts partnered with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation to contribute $160,000 to the Brother Crusade, supporting hunger and homelessness initiatives. Betts donated over $30,000 in Nike apparel to victims of the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Betts and his foundation also helped the Franklin family of Altadena, CA, who lost their home in the Eaton Fire, through financial assistance and recovery resources.
During the 2024-25 school year, Betts and the 5050 Foundation in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District launched an academic challenge focused on students in high school athletics. Students competed for best overall grade-point average (team and individual), and most improved GPA (team and individual). Students received recognition at a Dodger game, and winning teams and students received sports equipment.
Betts remains an active participant in Dodgers community initiatives, including Make-A-Wish visits, UCLA Health engagements, Jackie Robinson Day, Black Heritage Night celebrations and more.
MLBbro Lawrence Butler Says He Should Have Won The Award
Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler was at the Betts’ press conference and joked that he should have won the Clemente award. Seconds later, he sought advice from Betts on how to contribute to baseball on and off the field. Mookie was simple and to the point.
“It’s going to take a lot of work, which is obvious,” Betts told Butler. “But you really have to be in the right mental head space all the time because opportunities come and go, but you’ll miss ’em if you’re in a bad head space, meaning upset, mad at an umpire’s call. You took a bad swing, whatever it is, right?
“You just have to stay in the right head space, man, and that’s one of just being calm and being aware of what’s going on. But just live moment by moment, man. This year was the biggest [lesson] for me – just to live moment by moment. Usually when you do, a lot of moments come that you really don’t know, and when they come, you just have to be ready for it.”
