Paul Clemens (baseball)

Paul Clemens (born February 14, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins.

Early years

Clemens attended James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia where he lettered three years under head baseball coach Bill Evers. While at Robinson, Clemens broke Javier López's single-game strikeout record by recording 16 strikeouts against Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Clemens played summer baseball for the Virginia Barnstormers. During his senior year at James W. Robinson, Clemens accepted a baseball scholarship to Western Carolina University, but later decided that junior college was a better option. Clemens attended Louisburg College in North Carolina, where he pitched for two seasons. Clemens' tall frame and naturally live arm attracted the attention of MLB scouts early on in his college career.

Professional career

Clemens was drafted in the 36th-round (1089 overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 2007, but he chose to return to school for another year. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the 2008 MLB Draft. On July 31, 2011 Clemens, Jordan Schafer, Brett Oberholtzer and Juan Abreu were traded to the Houston Astros for Michael Bourn.^[1]

Clemens was added to the Astros 40-man roster on November 18, 2011.^[2] In 2013, Clemens earned a 4-6 record. He pitched the last game of the 2013 Houston Astros season when they played the New York Yankees. He lost to former Astro Andy Pettitte in Pettite's last game. Clemens was designated for assignment by the Astros on September 2, 2014.

Clemens signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on November 20, 2014. He was then released after making 7 appearances and signed on with the Kansas City Royals. On November 30, Clemens signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins.^[3]

On June 28, 2016, Clemens was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres.

On August 6, 2016, Clemens was pulled from the 5th inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies for failing to run out a bunt. Earlier in the game, he had gotten pine tar on his original jersey and switched to a new one, number 91, which read "Player" on the back.

Personal life

Clemens is married to Marlee Clemens. They have two children.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)