Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has been named the 2026 Philanthropist of the Year by the Players Trust, which is the charitable arm of the MLBPA
.The link above has a summary of some of the charity and community work Burger has done. Burger’s daughter, Penelope, has Down’s Syndrome, and much of the work he has done the past two years has focused on causes and issues related to Down’s Syndrome. When he joined the Rangers, he also changed his uniform number from 36 to 21, as Down’s Syndrome results
from an individual having an extra Chromosome 21.
The announcement was made as part of the Players Choice Awards, which were announced today. Headlining those awards was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was named the 2026 Most Outstanding Player in the National League, as well as the overall Player of the Year. The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez was the pick for the American League,
