Once upon a time Jeff Clement was a top prospect in the Mariners’ farm system, but the No. 3 overall pick in the 2005 draft has spent most of the past six seasons at Triple-A and the 29-year-old catcher/first baseman has signed a minor-league contract with the Twins.
Clement got just 24 plate appearances for the Pirates this year and has a grand total of 421 plate appearances as a big leaguer, hitting .218 with 14 homers and a .648 OPS. And his bat was supposed to be Clement’s strength, as the Mariners and Pirates both determined that he wasn’t good enough defensively to catch regularly.
Clement has consistently fared well at Triple-A, batting .280 with an .852 OPS in 535 total games there and posting similar numbers in 2012, but for a 29-year-old with limited defensive value that’s certainly not particularly impressive production. He’ll compete for a spot on Minnesota’s bench during spring training, but figures to begin the season in Rochester.