For the third time this year New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson has received accolades for his work off the field. This time as the recipient of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award from MLB Player’s Association. He had previously won the Roberto Clemente Award and the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.
Miller, who passed away in 2012, was the executive director for the MLBPA’s from 1966-1982. Miller negotiated the MLBPA’s first collective bargaining agreement with team owners in 1968. He was instrumental in getting major league players more rights and improving players salaries. The award in his name is given to the player that best “inspires others to higher levels of achievement by their on-field performances and contributions to their communities”.
Granderson becomes the first Met player to win the award since it started in 1997. This is the second time that Granderson has been given the award, having won in 2009 when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers.
