Alex Clemmey dominated in High-A for most of this season. In his 19 starts at the level, Clemmey posted a 2.47 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 87.1 innings. Sure, he had a walk issue, but Clemmey was untouchable while being very young for the league. That dominance led to a promotion to Double-A where Clemmey got a rude awakening.
The jump from High-A to Double-A is considered to be the most difficult one in the Minor Leagues. Players tend to be older and more savvy. You don’t see as many raw players that lack a plan. These guys are real pros who are tough to overwhelm.
Alex Clemmey, who only turned 20 in July learned this the hard way. In his first three Double-A starts, the youngster was shelled. He threw 11.2 innings in those three starts and allowed 17 runs. High-A hitters couldn’t touch Clemmey, but Double-A bats posted 21 hits in those first three starts and hit six home runs.
In High-A, Clemmey only allowed four homers all season. He gave up four in his first Double-A start. After this gut punch, I was interested to see how Clemmey would respond. He has never been hit around like this in his career. Whenever he struggled in the past, it was due to walks.
However, in his last two starts, Clemmey has flipped the switch. In those two outings, Clemmey has gone 11.2 innings and has only allowed three earned runs, allowing seven hits and striking out 13. That is the Alex Clemmey we are used to seeing. A guy who can go on a roll and retire 15 of 16 to end a start.
His last start on Tuesday was Clemmey’s best at the level. He went 5.2 innings, where he gave up only one earned run and struck out 7 while not walking anybody. Clemmey also got 15 whiffs in this start. His fastball sat more in the mid-90’s, but it can get into the upper 90’s at times. Overall, he looked very sharp.
One thing I noticed was that Clemmey is starting to use his changeup more often. He had been mostly a fastball/slider guy in the past. While he has a 4-seamer and a sinker, it is still a shallow pitch mix. Hitters had to worry about either the heater or his plus breaking ball. A true third pitch would go a long way for him.
It is worth noting that Clemmey is still so young. Despite being drafted in 2023, he spent a lot of this season as a 19 year old. He was very young for his draft class and still has a lot of developmental runway. The stuff is also very exciting.
Clemmey was drafted by the Guardians and came to DC in the Lane Thomas trade. This could end up being a real steal if Clemmey keeps developing. Nats fans are going to have to be patient with Clemmey though.
We saw in his start to life at AA that he is not just going to cruise through this level. He is going to start next season at Double-A. If he has success in Harrisburg, he could be in Triple-A by the end of next season. However, a big league call up is not likely to come until 2027.
It is a slow burn, but the wait very well could be worth it for Alex Clemmey. He has big time strikeout stuff and is learning how to pitch. I am excited to follow Clemmey’s development over the next year or so. He has the talent to be a difference maker at the big league level one day.