WASHINGTON, D.C. — Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Ryan Zimmerman was named the Washington Nationals’ 2017 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

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The award is regarded as one of the most prestigious an individual can receive. It is given to the player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” according to a press release from the Nationals.

Each team nominates one player fitting that description. Wednesday marked the 16th-annual Roberto Clemente Day, which the MLB established to honor his legacy and to recognize the nominees the award. The Nationals will hold a pregame ceremony on Friday to honor Zimmerman for his commitment to the community through his work with the ziMS Foundation. He started the foundation in 2006, his first full season in the MLB, to raise awareness and money for those battling multiple sclerosis like his mother.

MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr., affiliate-network representatives, and the late Clemente’s wife, Vera Clemente, will be among those on the voting panel that will pick a winner from the 30 nominees. A fan vote held from Oct. 2-6 will decide one vote, too.

Zimmerman was born in Washington, North Carolina and lived in eastern North Carolina for the first few years of his life. The 12-year pro veteran ended up moving to Virginia Beach, and played his college baseball with the Virginia Cavaliers. He is batting .302 with 30 home runs, which is three shy of the single-season best he set in 2009.