Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
Miguel Rojas was named the winner of the 21st annual Roy Campanella Award, which is given to the Los Angeles Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.
The award is voted on each season by Dodgers uniformed personnel. It will be presented to Rojas by Campanella’s daughter, Joni Campanella Roan, and his granddaughter, Akua Campanella, during a pregame ceremony on Thursday.
Rojas becomes the second player to win three of the “Most Inspirational Dodger” award, joining Justin Turner (2017, 2019-20), and he’s the first to be voted the recipient three years in a row.
Rojas additionally is one one of four players to take home the honor multiple times, along with Clayton Kershaw (2013-14), Turner and Chase Utley (2016, 2018). The 37-year-old also becomes the second-oldest player to win the award, after Utley, who won at 39.
Rafael Furcal received the inaugural Roy Campanella Award in 2006, and since then, the honor has been given to Russell Martin (2007), James Loney (2008), Juan Pierre (2009), Jamey Carroll (2010), Matt Kemp (2011), A.J. Ellis (2012), Kershaw (2013-14), Zack Greinke (2015), Utley (2016, 2018), Turner (2017, 2019-20), Chris Taylor (2021), Freddie Freeman (2022), Jason Heyward (2023) and Rojas (2024-26).
Rojas’ excellent leadership in the clubhouse is by now common knowledge among baseball fans. The last four years, he’s instituted players-only, series-victory celebratory toasts in the locker room when the Dodgers take a series or record a sweep. Rojas will kick off the toasts with a few words and then throw it over to the “player of the game.” He’s also famous for his mentorship of players both young and old, including Mookie Betts, Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim.
After the Dodgers won the National League West last week, Rojas said, “This is family to me. These guys kept me positive and kept me going every single day. I can’t thank the guys enough for what they have done for me the last four years. I’m so excited for the opportunity to three-peat with this team.”
Rojas has once again been a contributor at the plate in 2026, hitting .271 with four homers and 22 RBI in 103 games, while batting .297 (43-for-145) against left-handed pitching and .287 at Dodger Stadium. Defensively, he’s been as steady as ever, starting 36 games at second base (135 chances without an error), 17 at shortstop and three at third while making just one error on the season, good for a .995 fielding percentage.
In 2025, the Dodgers brought the native of Venezuela back for another season, a decision that proved pivotal as he made starts at second base (43), third base (20), and shortstop (10), before delivering one of the biggest home runs in World Series history.
In the bottom of the ninth of Game 7 versus the Toronto Blue Jays, Rojas’ one-out solo homer off Jeff Hoffmann tied the game, allowing the Dodgers to come back and win their second straight World Series.
Rojas spent time with the Miami Marlins before returning to the Dodgers in 2023, when he signed a two-year deal. It marked a reunion with to the organization where Rojas made his Major League debut on June 8, 2014, and as the starting third baseman, famously helped preserve Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter on June 18, 2014 with a stellar play.
After hitting .236 in 2023, Rojas rebounded in a big way in 2024, batting .283 in 103 games and playing his usual Gold Glove defense all over the diamond. Rojas also provided invaluable leadership to the club last year as he played on a World Series winner for the first time that year.
The slick-fielding veteran has said that 2026 will be his final Major League season. Next year, he is expected to transition into a front-office job focused on player development.
Roy Campanella history and impact
Campanella was a three-time NL MVP (1951, 1953 and 1955), eight-time All-Star and a member of the 1955 World Series Brooklyn Dodgers championship team. Campanella played in five World Series and his 142 RBI in 1953 set a franchise record, since surpassed by Tommy Davis (153 in 1962).
In 1,215 career games during a 10-year career, all with the Dodgers, Campanella batted .276 with 242 home runs and 856 RBI.
Campanella began his career in the Negro Leagues, establishing himself as one of the top catchers in the league before joining the Dodgers in 1946. Campanella played for Class B Nashua of the New England League, making that club the first integrated affiliated baseball team in the United States.
On Jan. 29, 1958, just as the Dodgers were making final preparations for their move to L.A., Campanella was involved in a tragic car accident that paralyzed him from the neck down, marking the end of his playing career.
On May 7, 1959, a Major League record-setting 93,103 fans filled the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on “Roy Campanella Night” for an exhibition game between the Dodgers and Yankees.
Campanella was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and was among the first three Dodgers to have their uniform numbers retired alongside Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax. Campanella remained active in the Dodgers’ Community Relations Department until his death on June 26, 1993, at the age of 71.
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