Kody Clemens hopes to bring his father’s mentality to a bench role with the Phillies

CLEARWATER, Fla. — In July 2002, Roger Clemens was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of tightness in his right groin muscle. The 39-year-old New York Yankees right-hander decided to rehab at the team’s complex in Tampa, Fla. One day, Rob Thomson, who was the Yankees’ minor league field coordinator at the time, approached Clemens.

“Where are your kids?” Thomson asked.

“They’re in Texas,” Clemens answered.

“Why don’t you bring them down here, and we’ll work them out,” Thomson suggested.

Clemens did just that. He brought his four kids — Koby, Kory, Kacy, and his youngest, Kody — to Tampa to join him on his rehab assignment. While Clemens trained, they took turns in the batting cages at the Yankees’ complex.

Kody doesn’t have vivid memories of that. The 26-year-old Phillies utility player was just 5 at the time. But he was quickly reminded of it when he was acquired from Detroit this offseason, in the trade that sent Matt Vierling and Nick Maton to the Tigers.

“It makes me feel old,” Thomson said. “It really does.”

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Unlike his older brothers, Clemens experienced his father’s career in a different way. He wasn’t able to watch him pitch in his prime, when he made Little Leaguers out of big leaguers and racked up strikeouts with ease. He wasn’t able to hit against him in his prime, either, but that doesn’t mean Roger took it easy on his son.

“He was getting up there in age, but he could still throw some heat when I was in high school,” Clemens said. “Right now, he could probably throw 80 miles an hour.”

It was quite the education for an aspiring baseball player. But the biggest lesson young Clemens took away was not how to hit a filthy splitter or a wicked slider or a blistering fastball. It was how to tune out the noise.

Dad’s words have become especially useful for his son of late. He struggled last year after being called up from triple-A Toledo. The Tigers used him off the bench, in a totally different role than what he was used to. He went from batting .274 with 13 home runs in 241 at-bats over 60 games at Toledo, to 117 at-bats in 56 big league games. He hit .145/.197/.308 with five homers.

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Eventually, he learned some tricks to stay ready for when his opportunity to hit did come. Clemens would stand in on bullpen sessions to make sure he saw live pitching every day, for example. But most of all, he learned to lean on that valuable lesson his father taught him long ago.

“He would just try and translate his mentality when he was on the mound to my mentality at the plate,” Clemens said. “No one’s going to rattle you. No one’s going to blow it by you. You can hit anything. Just have that confidence in yourself. You have to have it or you’re done.

“My dad told me that when he pitched, he had blinders on. He would look at the plate and it would just be him and the catcher. He wouldn’t even see the hitter. And he instilled that in me. It’s about not letting anyone get in your head. I feel like I’m pretty strong in that aspect, and now I’m ready to bring that here.”

Clemens currently is fighting for the same kind of roster spot that he had with the Tigers — a bench role. His defensive versatility should give him a leg up; last season he played first base, second base, third base, left field, and even pitched. The big question is his bat. But after last season, he feels he is better equipped to handle any irregular playing time. And if he struggles again, he can always reach out to his dad.

“Obviously the success wasn’t there when I was in the big leagues,” Clemens said of last season. “But this year, I’m just trying to be mentally unflappable. Just compete in the box and do whatever I need to do for the team.”

Thomson said pitching prospects Mick Abel and Griff McGarry have looked strong in their live batting practices and should be getting into a spring training game in the next few days. ... Thomson said the Phillies have not yet made a call on reliever Gregory Soto playing in the World Baseball Classic. Soto is still working out in the Dominican Republic as he deals with visa complications.