Bob DiBiasio, Jim Folk honored with 2026 SABR Roland Hemond Award
Cleveland Guardians Vice President Curtis Danburg, far left, and SABR CEO Scott Bush, far right, present Bob DiBiasio and Jim Folk with the 2026 Roland Hemond Award during SABR 54 in Cleveland, Ohio.
JULY 30, 2026 — Longtime Cleveland Guardians executives Bob DiBiasio and Jim Folk were honored at SABR 54 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, with the Roland Hemond Award, which recognizes a baseball executive who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to professional baseball scouts and scouting, and player development history.
DiBiasio is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Cleveland Guardians, where he has worked since 1979. He joined the organization as Assistant Public Relations Director, was named PR Director one year later, and Vice President of PR in 1988 until he was promoted to his current position in 2011. He was the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence in Major League Baseball. He also serves as President of Cleveland Guardians Charities and is on the Board of Directors for the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation and Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park.
Folk spent more than four decades working in baseball, including more than 30 years with the Cleveland Guardians organization. He joined the team in 1992 as Director of Ballpark Operations and served as Vice President of Ballpark Operations from 2001 until his retirement in 2025. He was involved in the design and construction activities of Progressive Field, overseeing the final series at Cleveland Stadium in 1993 and the opening at then-Jacobs Field in 1994. He acted as a Project Manager for the Goodyear Spring Training/Player Development Complex and Ballpark in Arizona, overseeing design and construction activities from 2007 to 2009. He oversaw two MLB All-Star Games (1997 and 2019); three World Series (1995, 1997, and 2016), and 49 postseason home games at Progressive Field.
Hemond, a longtime SABR member and award-winning baseball executive, was the first recipient of the award in 2001 from the SABR Scouts Committee, who subsequently named the honor after him.
Click here to learn more about the Roland Hemond Award.
Originally published: July 30, 2026. Last Updated: July 30, 2026.