Here at Le Moyne, the phrase “Greatness meets Goodness” is at the very foundation by which the school stands, and it is safe to say that very few exemplify that ideal like our very own Le Moyne alumni Josiah Gray. Gray is currently a player for the Washington Nationals in the MLB. His stellar reputation on and off the field has earned Gray a nomination for the coveted Roberto Clemente Award.
From his staggering 1.24 ERA and perfect 11-0 record in his last year at Le Moyne College in 2018, he has now achieved a new height in the MLB. Josiah Gray found himself as the only Washington National this past year on the NL All-Star team in 2023. His greatness on the field was most definitely a factor in his selection as a nominee for the Roberto Clemente award for which the criteria is, “the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” according to MLB.com. However, impressive stats alone aren’t enough to qualify for this award.
Anyone in the Nationals clubhouse will surely verify that while Gray is elite on the field, but his deeds off the field are just as impressive. Josiah arrived in Washington in 2021, and the in 2022 he became the official player ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. Even before that, in 2021 he participated in HUSTLE, a baseball and softball program within the Academy where he was able to advise and spend time with many of the scholar athletes. Gray continues to mentor these athletes through “a simple game of catch, comparing music taste and learning to make the perfect omelet in the Academy’s teaching kitchen.” In addition to all this, Josiah Gray was a big supporter of the “Cancer Isn’t Kuhl” campaign after his teammate Chad Kuhl’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Evidently, Gray’s graciousness and generosity has helped so many people, so he was an easy pick as a nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award
Josiah Gray has accomplished so much in his career and it all started here at Le Moyne College. It is easy to see that he is exactly at the point where “Greatness meets Goodness” and continues to perfectly represent Le Moyne even after graduating.
Voting is still going on for the award and ends midnight of October 1, 2023, so go out there and support our fellow Dolphin!
