Koby Clemens
Encyclopedia
Koby Aaron Clemens is the eldest son of major league
pitcher
Roger Clemens
, and a right-handed first baseman
in professional baseball.
, he was a two-sport star at Memorial High School, splitting time between football
and baseball
, before he suffered a back injury ending his brief football career.
He hit .413 as a junior, with 4 home runs and 23 RBIs in 2004. In his senior year he earned all-state honors with .519 batting average, 5th-best in the Houston area, and was 2nd in the Houston area in both home runs and RBIs. Though not his forte, he also had success on the pitcher's mound, with a 7-1 record and a 1.75 ERA
He signed with The University of Texas (where his father played) to play first base on November 17, 2004, but never attended, choosing to go straight to professional baseball after he was drafted by the Houston Astros
.
picked Clemens in the 8th round of the amateur draft, 254th overall; the Astros intended to use him as either a first
or third baseman
. He signed for a $380,000 bonus.
In 2005, he played his first minor league baseball
season, hitting
.297 with 4 homers and 17 RBIs in 33 games for the Rookie League Greeneville Astros
, and .281 with 6 RBIs in 9 games with the Class A Tri-City Valley Cats
, for whom he was the youngest player. Overall, he committed 15 errors in 32 games at third.
In 2006, playing Class A ball as the youngest player on the Lexington Legends
in the South Atlantic League
, he dipped to .229 with 5 home runs and 39 RBIs in 91 games. Clemens appeared once as a pitcher in professional baseball, as the starting pitcher for the Lexington Legends
during a 2006 game.
On June 25, 2006, Clemens was in the news in a game against the Asheville Tourists
. He was declared safe in a controversial play on second, leading Tourists manager Joe Mikulik
to go on a rampage. Through 2006, in the minors he has batted .249 with 9 home runs, 63 RBIs, 7 stolen bases (while being caught once), and a .385 slugging percentage in 449 at bats.
In the 2006 Hawaiian Winter League, playing for North Shore Honu
, Clemens batted .196 with 1 home run and 9 RBIs in 32 games.
Koby Clemens hit a home run off of his father, Roger Clemens
, in a 2006 minor league exhibition game. In Koby's next at bat, Roger threw a brushback pitch
at Koby in retaliation.
He has been converted to catcher
and had played for the Corpus Christi Hooks
in the Double-A Texas League
. As of June 12, 2009, he returned to play for the Lancaster JetHawks
in Advanced A in the California League
in the roles of catcher and designated hitter.
In 2011 he was with the Oklahoma City RedHawks as their first baseman.
Koby Clemens started playing at the Puerto Rican winter league with the Mayaguez Indians as a first baseman but abandoned the team abruptly on November 10, 2011. There were rumors that his father, pitcher Roger Clemens, persuaded him to leave the island because of the kidnapping of Washington Nationals catcher, Wilson Ramos in Venezuela the day before.
teammates outside a Salem, Virginia
restaurant on September 1, 2008. Clemens was charged with disorderly conduct
.
Koby Clemens barred from winter ball after going AWOL
Friend-of-HBT Nick Collias just tipped us off to a report from Puerto Rico about how Koby Clemens — son of Roger and property of the Houston Astros — has been barred from international play after abandoning his winter ball team, the Mayagüez Indians, last Wednesday.
According to the report by Karla Pacheco Alvarez at the Puerto Rican paper Primera Hora, Clemens left the team without providing any reason. This led his team to file paperwork which bans him from playing for any other winter league team, be it in Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Venezuela. Here’s team owner Daniel Aquino, translated by our friend Mr. Collias:
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, and a right-handed first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
in professional baseball.
Early life
Born on December 4, 1986 in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, he was a two-sport star at Memorial High School, splitting time between football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, before he suffered a back injury ending his brief football career.
He hit .413 as a junior, with 4 home runs and 23 RBIs in 2004. In his senior year he earned all-state honors with .519 batting average, 5th-best in the Houston area, and was 2nd in the Houston area in both home runs and RBIs. Though not his forte, he also had success on the pitcher's mound, with a 7-1 record and a 1.75 ERA
He signed with The University of Texas (where his father played) to play first base on November 17, 2004, but never attended, choosing to go straight to professional baseball after he was drafted by the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
.
Minor leagues
The Houston AstrosHouston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
picked Clemens in the 8th round of the amateur draft, 254th overall; the Astros intended to use him as either a first
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
or third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. He signed for a $380,000 bonus.
In 2005, he played his first minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
season, hitting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.297 with 4 homers and 17 RBIs in 33 games for the Rookie League Greeneville Astros
Greeneville Astros
The Greeneville Astros are a minor league baseball team of the Appalachian League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Greeneville, Tennessee, and play their home games at Pioneer Park on the campus of Tusculum College....
, and .281 with 6 RBIs in 9 games with the Class A Tri-City Valley Cats
Tri-City Valley Cats
The Tri-City ValleyCats are a minor league baseball team based in Troy, New York and the 2010 champions of the New York – Penn League . The ValleyCats are the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. The name Tri-City is based on the three nearby...
, for whom he was the youngest player. Overall, he committed 15 errors in 32 games at third.
In 2006, playing Class A ball as the youngest player on the Lexington Legends
Lexington Legends
The Lexington Legends are a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League , and the Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Lexington, Kentucky, and play their home games at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, located in an industrial area on the northeast side of the city just...
in the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
, he dipped to .229 with 5 home runs and 39 RBIs in 91 games. Clemens appeared once as a pitcher in professional baseball, as the starting pitcher for the Lexington Legends
Lexington Legends
The Lexington Legends are a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League , and the Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Lexington, Kentucky, and play their home games at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, located in an industrial area on the northeast side of the city just...
during a 2006 game.
On June 25, 2006, Clemens was in the news in a game against the Asheville Tourists
Asheville Tourists
The Asheville Tourists are a minor league baseball team based in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. They play in the Class A South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since 1994....
. He was declared safe in a controversial play on second, leading Tourists manager Joe Mikulik
Joe Mikulik
Joseph "Joe" Mikulik, born October 30, 1963 in Weimar, Texas, is a former minor league baseball player and the current manager of the Asheville Tourists class A minor league baseball team. The 5' 11" right-handed outfielder never rose above AAA baseball, but was a key player in the Tucson Toros'...
to go on a rampage. Through 2006, in the minors he has batted .249 with 9 home runs, 63 RBIs, 7 stolen bases (while being caught once), and a .385 slugging percentage in 449 at bats.
In the 2006 Hawaiian Winter League, playing for North Shore Honu
North Shore Honu
The North Shore Honu were a minor league baseball team in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. They are based in Waipahu, Hawaii. The name Honu is derived from the Hawaiian word for a sea turtle. They play their home games at the Hans L'Orange Field....
, Clemens batted .196 with 1 home run and 9 RBIs in 32 games.
Koby Clemens hit a home run off of his father, Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, in a 2006 minor league exhibition game. In Koby's next at bat, Roger threw a brushback pitch
Brushback pitch
In baseball, a brushback pitch is a pitch thrown high and inside, usually a fastball, to force the batter away from the plate, often to intimidate. It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, or intentionally throw at the batter's head...
at Koby in retaliation.
He has been converted to catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
and had played for the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...
in the Double-A Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. As of June 12, 2009, he returned to play for the Lancaster JetHawks
Lancaster JetHawks
The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team of the California League located in Lancaster, California. The team is named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and plays its home games at Clear Channel Stadium...
in Advanced A in the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
in the roles of catcher and designated hitter.
In 2011 he was with the Oklahoma City RedHawks as their first baseman.
Koby Clemens started playing at the Puerto Rican winter league with the Mayaguez Indians as a first baseman but abandoned the team abruptly on November 10, 2011. There were rumors that his father, pitcher Roger Clemens, persuaded him to leave the island because of the kidnapping of Washington Nationals catcher, Wilson Ramos in Venezuela the day before.
Personal life
Clemens was arrested alongside two Salem AvalancheSalem Avalanche
The Salem Red Sox are a minor league baseball team in Salem, Virginia, USA, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. They are a Class High-A team in the Carolina League and are a farm team of the Boston Red Sox...
teammates outside a Salem, Virginia
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
restaurant on September 1, 2008. Clemens was charged with disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
.
Koby Clemens barred from winter ball after going AWOL
Friend-of-HBT Nick Collias just tipped us off to a report from Puerto Rico about how Koby Clemens — son of Roger and property of the Houston Astros — has been barred from international play after abandoning his winter ball team, the Mayagüez Indians, last Wednesday.
According to the report by Karla Pacheco Alvarez at the Puerto Rican paper Primera Hora, Clemens left the team without providing any reason. This led his team to file paperwork which bans him from playing for any other winter league team, be it in Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Venezuela. Here’s team owner Daniel Aquino, translated by our friend Mr. Collias: