The Major League Baseball Players Association recently nominated infielder Jose Reyes as the Mets’ recipient for the 2018 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.
Named after the founding executive director of the MLBPA, the award highlights the most respected player based on on-field and community leadership. The finalists and nominees are voted in by players, and there is only one recipient.
Reyes’ nomination comes on the merits of, per the MLBPA site, “professionalism demonstrated in transitioning from everyday player to role player.” The association also makes a point of Reyes’ mentorship to Amed Rosario in the description.
It’s worth noting, however, that Reyes is the only nominee among the 30 in baseball who does not have a charitable benchmark attached to his name.
While every other player has taken part in an outreach program (like the Anthony Rizzo Foundation), donated large sums of money (like Salvador Perez‘s $1M commitment to the Urban Youth Academy) or made visited/assisted extensively with affected communities (like Francisco Lindor in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria), Reyes has no such credentials to show for. He is also the only such nominee with a known domestic violence incident.
Reyes is set to hit free agency following the conclusion of this year’s World Series, and has made clear he does not expect to return to the Mets for the 2019 season. In a year that has born little to no fruits on the diamond, regardless of what his future holds, Reyes can enjoy being nominated for one of the union’s most coveted awards.
