KATY, Texas – MLB legend and Houston-native Roger Clemens has spent the past few years focused on helping his baseball-playing sons succeed. Though neither is a pitcher, Clemens’ pitching prowess helps them when they workout together.
“Batting practice off him is a lot different from him,” said Kacy Clemens, a first baseman in the Blue Jays system. “He doesn’t like to throw from 45 feet. He gets up on the mound and goes through a wind-up.”
Working out at the Cotton Ranch fields in Katy, Clemens still gets his sons with “Mr. Splitty."
“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Kacy Clemens after being asked about hitting his dad’s splitter.
Kacy Clemens, 25, reached AA in 2019, but mostly struggled with the bat — hitting a combined .191 across High-A and AA.
Kody Clemens, the youngest of four baseball-playing kids, is a second baseman in the Tigers system, also benefits from batting practice with his dad.
“I’m fortunate I still have pretty good range of motion,” said Roger Clemens. “Atrophy hasn’t set in, I’m doing (rotator) cuff work and these boys keep me young.”
Kody Clemens, 23, also reached AA ball last season. He also struggled with the bat in 2019 but had a .816 OPS in 2018.
Both players are following training directives from their respective systems, and waiting for the call. They’re working on what they call a “two-week plan," keeping their body ready so that within two weeks they would be in spring training shape.
