Roberto Clemente was not the first Latino baseball player in the MLB, but he was the most important. Not only was he a great player, but he was a great person. He died on a humanitarian trip to Nicaragua in an effort to help the people after a disastrous earthquake, after finding out the Nicaraguan government had never given aid of the first three relief flights to the people who needed it. After his death, the MLB waived the five year period and elected Roberto Clemente into the Hall of Fame. Additionally, the MLB named the Roberto Clemente Award in his honor, and Clemente has posthumously received the first-ever Presidential Citizens Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. Clemente is incredibly deserving of his number being retired by the MLB.
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