Kody Clemens' revenge series makes him the only Quad-A player Tigers should regret losing

For the most part, Tigers fans can only feel grateful that the era of the Tigers' Quad-A player is mostly over. Guys like Akil Baddoo, Ryan Kreidler, and Ryan Vilade are gone, and Detroit has far better backup options now. All three are experiencing varying levels of success with their new teams since leaving the organization, but no one can say with a straight face that they wish any of those guys were still Tigers.

That might not be quite as true of Kody Clemens.

Clemens was a third-round pick for the Tigers in 2018 and a perennial top-20 prospect until he was called up in May 2022. He was optioned three times that year before being traded to the Phillies as part of the deal that brought Matt Vierling to Detroit. By the time he left, he hit all of .145 with a .505 OPS in 57 games as a Tiger.

Two and half similarily underwhelming seasons with the Phillies made it easy for Tigers fans to wipe their hands of the whole issue. Until this season.

He was already enjoying a breakout season in Minnesota, batting .238 with a .768 OPS, 22 homers, and 67 RBI going into this week's Tigers-Twins series. But it seems he took it upon himself to have a personal hand in burying any hope Detroit would make it to the postseason.

Kody Clemens' performance during Twins series makes it clear he holds a grudge against Tigers

In the first two games of the series, he's 2-for-5 with a two homers and three RBI. His sac fly got scoring started on Monday, and then a solo homer tied the game on Tuesday. The Twins ended up winning both games by over 10 runs, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

There's no telling that this breakthrough in power is going to stick beyond this season, and Tigers fans would've been incensed if the front office had refused to give up on him and let him take up a roster spot beyond even the 2023 season.

Still, the Twins got Clemens for cash considerations. All it took for Minnesota to tack on 20+ homers and 70+ runs to their season totals was a little cash. The Phillies before them got him for a now always-injured utility man (though we can't fully discount Vierling's contributions in 2024).

That was a deal that was made a long time ago, and the Tigers had no idea what he might be capable of as a late bloomer, but it definitely hurts more when he's good at Detroit's expense.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow