Watch Francisco Lindor's Emotional Reaction in Video as Mets Star Wins Roberto Clemente Award

Francisco Lindor received a prestigious honor on Monday as the New York Mets shortstop was given the Roberto Clemente Award for his work in the community.

The award meant everything to Lindor and his wife, Katia.

"This is something when our kids grow up, they're gonna look back and say my mom and dad were very cool because they were blessing others and helping others," he said.

The Clemente Award is given annually to the player who "best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field," making it one of the highest off-the-field honors.

Lindor has been the Mets' nominee for the Clemente Award in each of the last four seasons and is the first member of the organization to win it since Curtis Granderson in 2016.

Lindor has donated more than $1 million since 2020 to build a two-story middle school building at his alma mater, Montverde Academy in Florida. He also established his own scholarship fund for students who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend the school.

Lindor provided financial support and helped restore athletic facilities in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and Fiona in 2022.

His "Lindor's Leaders" development program launched this year for students in Bayside High School's Sports Medicine Program, and he partnered with Seen, a nonprofit helping families with children with physical disabilities.

"Sometimes, us athletes can be seen like we're so far away from the general public," Lindor said . "But we're not. We are in the communities. We are giving back. We are helping. Hopefully, this is going to give me a bigger platform to continue to help."

Lindor has already had an outstanding career that features five All-Star nods, a Gold Glove Award and four Silver Slugger Awards, and now he's added one of the highest honors in sports to his resume.

"It's a little bit surreal, you know?" Lindor said. "It's bigger than baseball, in a way. Like, we are in the entertainment business, and we are there to bring smiles and joy to people, but also to carry it off the field to me is even cooler. So it's something that I'll forever continue to do."