Pablo López has not thrown a pitch this season, but his name still landed among baseball’s most respected honors this week.
The Twins right-hander was named the club’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, making him one of the 30 finalists for a prize that recognizes both charitable work and excellence on the field. It is the fourth time López has been selected as Minnesota’s nominee, and this year’s nod carries a different kind of weight because he has spent the entire season on the shelf recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.
That’s exactly why the nomination says so much about him.
“I think it speaks volumes of who he is,” said manager Derek Shelton. “Anybody that talks to you about Pablo López, the first thing out of their mouth is he’s one of the best teammates, one of the best people, one of the most genuine people you’ll ever come across.
I speak that wholeheartedly. I remember the first conversation I had with him when I got the job.
He was driving from Miami to Tampa to do some rehab stuff. I got off the phone, and I was like this can’t be real, just how genuine he is.”
Shelton said the award has special meaning to him because of the six years he spent in Pittsburgh, where Roberto Clemente’s legacy is woven into the fabric of the franchise. He also pointed to what the honor means for López as a Latin American player, especially with his home country having been hit by earthquakes in the past year.
López said he sees his work in Minnesota and in Venezuela as equally important.
“They’re both equally as important,” he said. “When I’m here, I’m a Minnesotan.
I love Minneapolis. I love where I live.
My dog loves where we live. When I’m here, I try to be a Minnesotan, feel that way, as much as I can.
But obviously we don’t forget our roots. I hear so much about what’s happening in Venezuela because most of my family still lives there.
“Obviously then when the very catastrophic double earthquake happened, I get to hear from them. They’re fine.
They’re safe. Where I’m from is geographically far from that, but it’s just, ‘OK, how can I put my effort into -- what are the areas?
What are the things that I can do from here?’ … It’s not forgetting where we come from and keeping in touch.”
Shelton said López has never turned down a chance to get involved in a community project, and that’s held true while he’s spent the year rehabbing. López said the downtime has pushed him to think differently about himself and where he finds purpose.
“This year has been a lot of growth on the mental side of things,” López said. “Who am I when I’m not pitching?
What are my other identities that are giving me fulfillment, that are filling my cup? So I think it’s a good testament to how true that is, that we have different identities.
We have different modes within ourselves.
“Like today, I can find fulfillment by doing a hospital visit. Doing a recess takeover, by doing a Target back to school shopping.
So I think it [takes] a completely different meaning. This year, being nominated for this has a completely different meaning to me.
And I think it’s going to bring so much gratitude for me next year when I get to keep those things and go back and perform.”
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