Alex Clemmey's baseball journey took a major step on Tuesday. Here's what happened
Alex Clemmey’s professional baseball career started on Tuesday.
Bishop Hendricken’s star left-hander reached an agreement with the Cleveland Guardians. Clemmey confirmed in a text message to The Journal that he will pass up a college commitment to Vanderbilt and sign a deal with the organization that selected him 58th overall on Sunday night in the Major League Baseball draft.
“New beginnings,” Clemmey said in a post on his social media accounts.
Clemmey was the second of three players tabbed by Cleveland in the early stages of the draft, which ran through Tuesday. He’s fresh off a dominant senior season with the Hawks, earning state Gatorade Player of the Year honors after allowing just eight singles and recording more than 70% of his outs on strikes. Clemmey monitored the proceedings in Seattle from his Middletown home with family and friends, watching his name appear on the MLB Network broadcast just before midnight.
“We’re incredibly proud of Alex and happy for him and his family to have reached an agreement professionally,” said Chris Sheehan, Bishop Hendricken’s pitching coach and assistant athletic director. “I know this is a big dream.”
ACES has served as Clemmey’s adviser for the better part of the last two years. The Brooklyn-based agency is led by brothers Sam Levinson and Seth Levinson. Their baseball clients include the likes of Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Nathan Eovaldi. Clemmey’s leverage in those conversations came through his commitment to Vanderbilt, which has reached the College World Series five times since 2011 and won a pair of NCAA titles.
“It was really a win-win for him,” Sheehan said. “I think he did a great job of doing everything he possibly could to show what he was capable of doing. Then, ultimately, he left it in the hands of the decision-makers.”
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Clemmey is one of several Commodores commits who heard his name called early. Indiana outfielder Max Clark, Massachusetts left-hander Thomas White and Florida shortstop George Lombard were all drafted among the top 50 picks, threatening to put a dent in what was a strong recruiting class bound for Nashville. Clemmey’s suggested slot value was $1,402,600, part of the overall $8,736,700 bonus pool allotted to the Guardians.
“We really try to know them on the field really, really well,” said Paul Gillispie, Cleveland’s senior vice president of scouting. “We also want to know them off the field really, really well. With that, it's trying to get a really good understanding for their interests and motivations as well.
“Once that time comes organizationally, we’re hopeful of bringing them in.”
Sheehan graduated from Bishop Hendricken in 2009 and went on to play at the University of Rhode Island before returning to his alma mater. He was a right-handed pitcher during his playing days who was surrounded by high-end talent — infielders Dan Gamache and Tom Verdi, outfielders Evan Marzilli and Jeff Roy, pitchers Thomas Pannone and Michael King just to name a few. King is currently in the bullpen with the New York Yankees, Pannone is pitching professionally in South Korea and several others from that era went on to play for top college programs and in the minor leagues.
“One of the things I always felt separated (King) was his mindset,” Sheehan said. “He was extremely detail-oriented, very well-prepared. He really understood the game.
“I think Alex is very similar. He’s a tenacious competitor. He’s become a really good student of the game.”
Had it failed to sign Clemmey, Cleveland wouldn’t have been allowed to use that cash elsewhere. The number would have been subtracted from the total amount available to bring in their remaining selections. Clubs exceeding their bonus pools in given years are subject to tiered penalties, including a tax on any overages and the loss of future draft picks. It creates an additional incentive for prospects and franchises to agree on contracts in good faith.
“He’s not a guy who’s going to succumb to some of the distractions that come with pro ball,” Sheehan said. “I think he has all the pieces aside from the talent to be successful at that level.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Alex Clemmey forgoes college, agrees to deal with Cleveland Guardians
