PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Tony Pena has been named the 1984 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award given annually by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Pena, 24, batted .301 with 15 home runs and 70 runs batted in last season.
His batting average ranked eighth in the National League and his homer total was the highest by a Pirate catcher since Jim Pagliaroni set the team record for the position with 17 in 1965.
The award is presented to the Pirates player who most exemplifies the standards of excellence established by the late Clemente, the Hall of Fame right-fielder who was killed in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972.
Pena is the first catcher to win the award in its 11-year history.
'That's great,' Pena said when informed of the honor. 'You don't know how much this means to me. It doesn't really surprise me, though, because I've worked hard my whole career with the Pirates.'
