There is once again a Clemens in the major leagues. Monday morning the Detroit Tigers called up utility man Kody Clemens, Roger's youngest son, the team announced. Clemens, a third-round pick in 2018, started the season with Detroit's Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.
The 26-year-old Clemens owns a .283/.316/.527 batting line with nine doubles, six triples, and eight home runs in 45 Triple-A games this season. Roger Clemens has four sons, three of whom are playing or have played professional baseball, and Kody is the first to reach the big leagues. He is replacing the injured Robbie Grossman on the roster.
MLB.com ranks Clemens the No. 17 prospect in Detroit's system, per MLB.com. Here's a snippet of his scouting report:
After a difficult 2019 season led him to a line-drive, all-fields approach, Clemens came out of the pandemic season slugging in Toledo and became pull-heavy by season's end ... After shifting from third base in college to second in the pros, Clemens became more of a right-side utility player by season's end in Toledo, adding right field and first base to his primary work at second ... (He) has a chance to carve out a Major League career as a left-handed hitting utility player if he can solidify his offensive approach.
Roger has four sons: Koby, Kory, Kacy, and Kody. Yes, all four have names that start with a K because strikeouts. Koby played several years in the Astros' farm system and is now a minor-league coach with Houston. Kacy spent a few years in the Blue Jays' system and is currently with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the independent Atlantic League. Kory did not play baseball professionally.
The Tigers bring a 17-29 record into Monday's action. They have scored only 125 runs this season, 30 fewer than any other team.
