Longhorns Country

Former Longhorn Kody Clemens to Make Major League Debut With Detroit Tigers

Clemens was called up to the majors by the Tigers on Monday morning.

Connor Zimmerlee

What an eventful last 24 hours it has been for the Texas Longhorns baseball program. Ivan Melendez broke the home runs in a season record, the NCAA announced their will be an Austin regional and to cap it all off, former Longhorn Kody Clemens is officially being called to the majors by the Detroit Tigers.

Clemens was the engine that made the 2018 Longhorn team go, fueling the Longhorns to the College World Series in Omaha. He would slash a staggering .351/.444/.726, finishing the season with 24 home runs and 72 runs driven in. 

While the Longhorns would lose their first two games in Omaha and not make much noise in the CWS, it was still an impressive season for Clemens, one that saw him be named a finalist for the Golden Spikes, the most prestigious award in college baseball. 

His dominant 2018 season would lead Clemens to be drafted by the Detroit Tigers with the 79th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. Since then, Clemens has been performing well in the minors, especially in the 2022 season. 

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Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Kody Clemens

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Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content Services, LLC

In 45 games with the Toledo Mud Hens so far in 2022, Clemens has slashed .283/.316/.527 with eight home runs 31 runs driven in, earning him his long awaited major league call up. 

Clemens may not ultimately find himself in the starting lineup right away, as he will likely serve as a bench bat to start. However, should he get an opportunity to start, look for Clemens to make his case to stay in the major leagues for good moving forward. 

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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Connor Zimmerlee
CONNOR ZIMMERLEE

Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media. 

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