#GoingToBat Community Spotlight

The #GoingToBat Community Spotlight features individual Major Leaguers and their charity efforts in the community. To learn more about the charitable interests and activities of Major Leaguers, please visit http://playerstrust.org/individual-player-charities/

Content from this campaign

Social Impact & Volunteering

Eduardo Escobar is Committed to Helping Youth in his Native Venezuela and Minnesota
Though his Eduardo Escobar Foundation (@Fundacionescob1 on Twitter) he provides his Venezuelan neighbors with food, medical supplies, basic necessities and local baseball leagues with baseball equipment.

Escobar’s foundation recently delivered lunch to 2,000 in need in the Palo Negro neighborhood of Aragua, Venezuela. The act is part of foundation’s yearlong campaign to provide a helping hand to Venezuelans in need.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Charity Begins at Home for New York Mets Pitcher Steven Matz
When Steven Matz made it to the major leagues, he knew he wanted to give back to the New York community.

So Matz started the TRU32 campaign in 2016 as a way to acknowledge and thank first responders from the area for their tireless efforts in keeping communities safe.

Matz, who wears No. 32, has hosted 32 first responders at every Wednesday home game during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Social Impact & Volunteering

From Arizona to Venezuela Major Leaguer David Peralta is Committed to Improving the Lives of Others in Need
Even though Major Leaguer David Peralta is far away from Venezuela in terms of distance while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the United States, his troubled home country remains close to his heart.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Major Leaguers Go to Bat for Hurricane Harvey Relief
For perhaps as long as the game has been played, Major League baseball players have cared deeply about the places where they play and live, and that passion and compassion came to the forefront this week when baseball took a backseat to many players’ concerns for the people in communities devastated by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Kris Bryant to Shine Light on Wings for Life Foundation During #PlayersWeekend

Health & Healthcare

Minnesota Pitcher Glen Perkins and Wife, Alisha, Support Mental Health in Twins Cities
Around the time of Major League pitcher Glen Perkins’ sixth annual Fifteen’s 5K charity race, the MinnesotaTwins’ veteran closer was nearing the finish line of a nearly 16-month rehabilitation process from major shoulder surgery.

Health & Healthcare

Houston Astros Catcher Brian McCann Rallies Against Childhood Cancers
Houston Astros veteran catcher Brian McCann has been in the middle of plenty of on-field rallies during his 13-year Major League career, but perhaps the most important one he and his wife, Ashley, have been involved with is the Rally Foundation.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Chicago Cubs Catcher Willson Contreras Finds Special Olympics Just “Ducky”
Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras found himself on quite the ride in 2016 – catching for the eventual World Series Champions, being part of a fun, and energetic clubhouse, and learning more about his position from a seasoned veteran in David Ross! Sounds like the perfect way to begin a career. He was a jack-of-all-trades for the Cubs in 2016, making appearances in left field and first base in addition to his duties behind the plate.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Party at Napoli's in Support of Some Great Causes
In collaboration with MLBPA licensee, 108 Stitches, Napoli slapped the phrase "Party at Napoli's" on a t-shirt and began a campaign to help raise funds for Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. At the end of last season, over 9,000 t-shirts had been sold, and Napoli and 108 Stitches presented the clinic with a check for $121,000.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Major Leaguer Eric Hosmer Goes All Out for Kansas City Youth
World Series champion, All-Star Game MVP, three-time Gold Glove Award winner and 2017 World Baseball Classic champion — first baseman Eric Hosmer has developed an impressive baseball resume since joining the Kansas City Royals in 2011.

But in addition to making a big difference for the Royals in recent years, the 27-year-old has also made a positive and significant impact in the Kansas City community.

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