Zimmerman nominated for prestigious Roberto Clemente award

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is the team's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. Today is the 12th annual Roberto Clemente Day in Major League Baseball. "The annual Roberto Clemente 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," MLB said in a press release. "The Roberto Clemente Award pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. The 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua." Fans can get involved in the voting at chevybaseball.com. Voting ends Oct. 6 and those who vote are automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2013 World Series. Zimmerman founded the ziMS Foundation, which is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. In 1995, his mother Cheryl was diagnosed with MS, a disease that affects the central nervous system. In 2013, the ziMS Foundation gave $150,000 to the Department of Neurology at the University of Virginia to help fight the disease and research a cure. The gift helped the foundation reach the $1,000,000 in total donations towards a cure for MS since its inception. Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers was last year's recipient.