By ‘paying it forward’ and helping Baltimore’s youth, Dillon Tate is Orioles’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee

Dillon Tate was caught completely off guard. He spoke to the crowd of kids at Camden Yards in late August as part of his Baseball Academia Corp., a youth-focused baseball group he operates with his cousin.

Then manager Brandon Hyde came out to watch, and the kids Tate was speaking to pulled out signs. And as Tate read what they had written — congratulating the right-hander reliever for becoming the Orioles’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee — his speech staggered to a stop.

“I had no idea,” Tate said. “I was just doing my thing.”

Tate never looked for any credit. He didn’t know that what he was doing would put himself in contention for an honor from Major League Baseball. All Tate wanted was a way to give back to the community, paying forward what coaches and mentors did for him growing up playing in youth baseball leagues and the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California.

When his cousin, Johannes Boyd, called Tate shortly after the presentation on Aug. 24, “he was without words,” Boyd said. “He was absolutely speechless.”

Orioles reliever Dillon Tate meets with members of a youth baseball team at Camden Yards in May as part of his Baseball Academia Corp. (Andy Kostka/Baltimore Sun)

#paying #helping #Baltimores #youth #Dillon #Tate #Orioles #Roberto #Clemente #Award #nominee