Hendricken's Alex Clemmey is selected by the Cleveland Guardians in MLB Draft
Alex Clemmey didn’t need to wait for a second night.
The Bishop Hendricken star heard his name called late Sunday during the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft.
Clemmey was selected No. 58 overall by the Cleveland Guardians as watched with family and friends from his Middletown home. That was four picks prior to the end of the second round and the highest any high school player from the state has been tabbed in 15 years.
“The thing about Alex that really stands out is his ability to know himself and to know himself as a pitcher,” said Paul Gillispie, Cleveland’s senior vice president of scouting. “Really advanced feel for his mechanics and the way his body moves. Really looking forward to working with Alex in the future.”
Clemmey is the earliest high school selection from the state since outfielder Ryan Westmoreland went in the fifth round to the Boston Red Sox in 2008. Like Clemmey, the Portsmouth High star was committed to Vanderbilt. Westmoreland bypassed that pledge for a signing bonus of $2 million. He rocketed up the sport’s prospect rankings before undergoing life-saving surgery to repair a cavernous malformation found at his brainstem.
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Clemmey was the second of the first three selections by the Guardians in the draft. Cleveland picked California prep catcher Ralphy Velazquez at No. 23 overall and Miami right-handed pitcher Andrew Walters at No. 62 overall. Clemmey’s slot value comes in just north of $1.4 million, and Gillispie said he was hopeful Cleveland could sign each of its first three picks to professional contracts.
“I think our scouts spend a lot of time learning about the player and what the player knows about himself,” Gillispie said. “I think having that understanding at a base level puts us in a really good position.”
Clemmey allowed just eight singles and recorded more than 70% of his outs on strikes while capturing state Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior. He was considered a consensus top-50 draft prospect, according to scouting services, and was ultimately selected just outside that ranking. Clemmey’s fastball ran up to 98 mph during his final season with the Hawks and was the primary draw for scouts who visited the region.
“It’s a massive fastball,” said Carlos Collazo, a draft writer for Baseball America and MLB Network analyst. “It’s big arm strength there. There are starter-reliever questions with him because he is a little bit erratic in the control department, but I think when the breaking ball is on, it’s a potential plus curveball as well.
“The fastball is the selling point here. It’s a good pick for a good team that can develop arms.”
The Guardians have shown a recent ability to develop their pitching picks into contributors at the top level. Cleveland counted 10 of its selections on the staff of its 26-man roster as of Sunday night — two others were acquired via Rule 5 and on the injured list, respectively. The organization hit on a pair of talented right-handed arms in 2016 taking Northeastern star Aaron Civale in the third round and future Cy Young winner Shane Bieber in the fourth.
“Every player is individualized,” Gillispie said. “Every player has an individualized plan. We try to take the things he does really well and make sure we’re maximizing those things.
“It’s never what he can’t do. Let’s stick by the things he does well and make sure we’re maximizing those things.”
The Guardians already count one pitcher with state ties who has spent parts of the last five seasons in the big leagues. James Karinchak is a bullpen right-hander who was drafted in the ninth round out of Bryant University in 2017. The organization makes a point of scouting the area thoroughly thanks to a pair of local connections — president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti is from Connecticut and general manager Mike Chernoff is a native of New Jersey.
“We have sort of a mantra among our scouting staff — no surprises,” Gillispie said. “That really means try to know everything about the player in terms of the way his body moves, the way he understands his delivery, the way he might understand his swing or his defensive ability.”
Clemmey has a breaking ball and a changeup to go along with his fastball. The ability to harness those two pitches will likely determine his ceiling going forward. Evaluators also had a chance to see him on the summer showcase circuit in 2022 and with Team USA while it took home gold from September’s U-18 Baseball World Cup.
“His work ethic is sort of off the charts,” Gillispie said. “He has a really good understanding not only of his body and his delivery, but also — especially for a high school kid — a really advanced understanding of pitch design.”
Clemmey makes it two straight years prep prospects from the state have been tabbed in the draft. South Kingstown standout Ben Brutti was selected in the 11th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 and elected to forego his college commitment to South Florida. The right-hander was joined by Salve Regina left-hander Dominic Perachi, Chipola junior college outfielder Tucker Flint (Bishop Hendricken) and Houston right-hander Ben Sears (East Providence).
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Hendricken's Alex Clemmey drafted by the Cleveland Guardians
