MINNEAPOLIS -- It took quite a string of events for Kody Clemens to wind up on the Twins’ roster. But now that he’s here, it’s awfully hard to see him going anywhere, anytime soon.
The veteran utility man has produced remarkably since joining Minnesota as an emergency acquisition in a trade on April 26. He’s also been an instant fit in the Twins clubhouse. If you didn’t know he’d only been with the club for less than four weeks, you’d never guess it.
Clemens continued his torrid run with two big hits in the Twins’ 6-5 win Wednesday at Target Field, the resumption of a game suspended Monday night. He didn’t start the game, but was instead inserted as a pinch-hitter when it resumed, and Cleveland brought in a right-handed reliever. He tripled in his first at-bat, then added a walk-off double. For good measure, he doubled in the regularly scheduled game that afternoon, a 5-1 loss.
That gives him nine extra-base hits in 44 at-bats with the Twins, and a lot of them have been big hits, too.
“It’s so fun,” said Joe Ryan, who pitched the bulk of the innings in the suspended-game win. “He has great energy. On the field or off. I think just the consistency of that, he hits the ball so hard, has great at-bats. Just good to see him out there doing his thing.”
Clemens can’t really explain where the power surge comes from. He does credit the expanded opportunities he’s had on an injury-depleted Twins team. He was acquired on the night that top prospect Luke Keaschall suffered a forearm injury. As one injury after another has hit the team, his versatility and offensive output have made him a fixture in the lineup.
“I'm seeing the ball really well,” he said, “starting my load on my swing a lot earlier than I typically did in the past or have in the past. Then just sticking to my plan and approach and being disciplined and swinging at the right pitches.”
He’s also proved to be an athletic defender and more versatile than the back of his baseball card might suggest.
“He's doing more than just taking advantage of opportunities,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “He's just producing in a big way, just a lot of barrels. He's hunting pitches, and when he gets them, he's not missing them. He's really squaring them up right now. We knew he could barrel some balls up, that's what he does well.”
And then there’s the fit. Clemens knew starter Chris Paddack from when they played youth travel ball together, and he was familiar to some in the clubhouse from his time with Detroit. But it’s not just assumed that when a player joins a club in-season, he’ll step right in and become a valuable clubhouse cog.
Perhaps based on his lifetime being around big league clubhouses, perhaps because of those familiar faces, and maybe just because it’s how he is, Clemens has been a natural with the Twins. Someone visiting the clubhouse for the first time would have no idea he’s been there less than half the season.
“It just shows a lot about him,” said Paddack. “He brings some energy. He brings that positive energy. It feels like he’s been here for years. He’s been here for, what, [a month]? That shows a lot of his character, his personality. When you get over to a new team, especially middle of the season, it’s not always easy.”