Mound Talk

BACKGROUND AND STATS

Jeff Clement has been on the prospect radar screens since early in his high school career. The Marshalltown, Iowa native broke the National Prep Home Run Record, smashing 75 dingers in high school. His draft stock slipped and due to signability issues, he was taken in the 12th round but elected to go to USC where he took a run at Mark McGwire’s collegiate record. He was selected third overall in the 2005 draft by the Seattle Mariners and has been one of the best catching prospects in baseball since signing his contract.

The 6-foot-2, 215 pound backstop was a Freshman All-American, First Team in 2003 and his last year at USC, 2005, he won the Johnny Bench Award as the nations best college catcher and was named First Team, All-American. He hit 46 career home runs in college and his junior year hit .348/.472/.617.

After being drafted, Clement was assigned to Everett of the Northwest League where after 15 plate appearances, he was sent to Wisconsin of the Low-A, Midwest League. In 127 plate appearances, he hit .319/.386/.522 with six home runs and five doubles. After having surgery to repair a torn meniscus and to remove a bone chip in his left elbow, Clement was sent to Double-A San Antonio for 77 plate appearances in 2006. He hit .274/.403/.500 with six doubles and two home runs. He was then moved up to Triple-A, Tacoma where he hit .257/.316/.347 with just four home runs and ten doubles.

Entering 2007, many people were down on Clement after a fairly disappointing season. But given the surgeries Clement underwent, his struggles were somewhat expected. Clement spent all of 2007 in Triple-A, Tacoma. He had 533 plate appearances and hit .275/.369/.497 with 35 doubles and 20 home runs as he re-established himself as a big time prospect.

AT THE PLATE

Clement is a left handed power hitting catcher with plus power. He has a short swing with a very natural uppercut. His swing is very easy and generates a lot of bat speed without swinging out of his shoes. For this reason, he is able to stay inside on balls and protect the strike zone effectively. He has power to all fields and won’t try to pull balls he shouldn’t pull.

Clement’s approach at the plate is very patient. He has good, but improvable, pitch recognition and does a great job of waiting for his pitch. His handles pitches well on the inside half of the plate and can take both the high and low stuff deep. His weakness is pitches away. He has improved his coverage over time, but needs to keep working or against more advanced pitching he will be exploited.

Through 2007, Clement’s minor league vital line reads: .276/.360/.459. And over the course of 779 minor league plate appearances, Clement has struck out on 178 occasions and walked 96 times. The strikeouts are not likely to drop off too far, but given his power potential, it’s an acceptable byproduct. His patience at the plate is good though. He should be able to maintain a high walk rate in the major leagues.

Clement’s major offensive deficiency is speed. He is slow and won’t be a threat to steal any bases.

BEHIND THE PLATE

Clement is merely an average defender. His receiving and blocking skills are adequate. He has average arm strength and the potential to improve. His footwork needs work. Overall, there isn’t much to say because most of his defensive attributes grade out as average.

Clement’s leadership has always been remarkable. Coaches from high school on up have raved about his leadership both behind the plate and in the clubhouse. He has demonstrated the ability to manage pitchers in-game and knows how to control the game from behind the dish well.

THE FUTURE

Clement is ready for a big league job. He was ready at midseason but Seattle kept Kenji Johjima at catcher and light hitting Jose Vidro at designated hitter. Seattle must ultimately make a decision about his future and with a lot of money committed to Johjima and Clement, it is not likely that either will be treated as expendable. One possible scenario is that Johjima and Clement split time at catcher and designated hitter.

Regardless of where Clement plays, he has a lot of potential and he’s not far from reaching that. In a perfect world, Clement is capable of hitting .280/.360/.500 with 35 home runs.