Kody Clemens Baseball Cards: Tracking the Career of a Second Generation MLB Player
Kody Clemens is a professional baseball infielder who is currently in the Detroit Tigers organization. As the son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, Kody was surrounded by baseball his entire life and strived to follow in his father’s famous footsteps. While still in the early stages of his professional career, Kody has begun to make a name for himself and his performance has been documented through baseball cards since his amateur playing days. Let’s take an in-depth look at Kody Clemens’ baseball cards and how they have tracked his progression from a prep star to the professional ranks.
As a standout two-sport athlete at Memorial High School in Houston, Texas, Kody began to garner attention from scouts and card companies alike during his junior and senior seasons from 2014-2015. In 2014, Kody’s first baseball cards were produced as part of the high school set from Donruss. This included a base card showing him in his Memorial Mustangs uniform. Statistics from Kody’s monster junior season in which he hit .433 with 8 home runs were listed on the back. Bowman Chrome also featured a Kody Clemens card in their 2014 high school product, giving collectors an early chance to obtain cards of the promising young lefty hitter.
Kody elevated his game even further as a senior in 2015. That season he batted .467 with 12 homers and 55 RBI, leading Memorial to a state championship. His on-field accomplishments resulted in significantly more card releases chronicling his final prep campaign. Products like Leaf, Score, and Donruss all featured base and parallel inserts of Clemens. The back of his cards detailed his gaudy senior year slash line and college commitment to Texas Longhorns. 2015 also marked Kody’s first autograph card releases through Leaf Memorabilia and Panini National Treasures collegiate sets. Given his pedigree and talent level, Clemens’ autographed rookie cards quickly became hot commodities.
After graduating high school, Kody enrolled at the University of Texas where he was a four-year letter winner for the Longhorns baseball team from 2016-2019. In his freshman season of 2016, Clemens started 50 games primarily as a first baseman and hit .245 with 3 homers. He raised his production each year in college. As a sophomore in 2017, Kody batted .301 with 5 home runs while playing mostly third base. His junior campaign in 2018 was his best statistically, as he hit .338 with 8 homers and 50 RBI over 56 starts while earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors.
Kody saved his finest college season for last in 2019. In his senior swan song for Texas, he put together a monstrous .347/.449/.673 slash line with a team-leading 15 home runs in 57 games as the Longhorns’ primary third baseman. His dominant performance led to him being named a Second Team All-American. Naturally, Clemens received plenty of baseball card coverage corresponding to his stellar college career. Products like Leaf Metal, Panini Limited, and Topps High Tek featured multiple base cards and autograph/memorabilia cards of Clemens in Texas uniforms over the years.
After completing his standout four-year college career at Texas, Kody was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He quickly made his professional debut that same year, playing 9 games for the Tiger’s Gulf Coast League affiliate. In 2020, Clemens split time between Low-A West Michigan and High-A Lakeland, slashing .251/.340/.393 over 57 total games. During his first two pro seasons, Topps Chrome Update, Bowman Platinum, and Topps Opening Day highlighted Kody’s ascension to affiliated ball with base rookie cards in Tigers uniforms.
In 2021, Cody realized a breakout season split between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie. Over 109 total games, he posted career-best numbers with a .296 batting average, 13 home runs, and 69 RBI. His shining campaign was highlighted on baseball cards through releases like Topps Series 2, Bowman Draft, and Topps Big League. Several of these cards prominently featured photos showcasing Clemens’ power swing and homers. Autograph versions became some of his highest valued cards to date given his breakout power season.
Kody backed up his 2021 performance with an even stronger showing in 2022. Promoted directly to Triple-A Toledo, the 25-year-old third baseman put it all together by slashing .288/.388/.537 with 16 homers and a career-high 70 RBI through 110 games. His shining season was topped off by appearing in 7 games for the Detroit Tigers in September, collecting his first major league hit. Clemens received many spotlight cards featuring his Triple-A and MLB accomplishments, such as Topps Fire, Allen & Ginter, and Stadium Club Chrome. Autographed 1-of-1 print runs became highly sought after by collectors eager to own a card from Clemens’ first taste of the big leagues.
While his MLB future remains to be seen, Kody Clemens has clearly worked tirelessly since high school to develop into a polished all-around hitter with significant power potential. Through baseball cards chronicling each step of his journey, collectors have been able to follow along with the once touted prospect’s progression into a legitimate major leaguer carrying on the family legacy. As he competes for an everyday role with Detroit in 2023 and beyond, Clemens’ cards will undoubtedly gain more prominence and value within the hobby. Only time will tell if he can live up to his famous father’s Hall of Fame standard, but Kody has proven he belongs and his cards reflect an inspiring career still unfolding.