Washington Nationals Prospect Profile: Alex Clemmey

Newly Acquired

2023 second-round draft pick Alex Clemmey was included in the return from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Washington Nationals right-fielder Lane Thomas. Just 19 years old, left-handed pitcher Clemmey has lots of potential. Signed out of high school for $2.3 million($900,000 above slot value), Cleveland targeted the left-hander and opened their checkbook to lock him in. Now with the Nats, he joins their plethora of 6-foot-6 pitching prospects; Jarlin Susana, Travis Sykora, Jake Bennett, and now Alex Clemmey.

Lane Thomas was sent packing to Cleveland in the trade that seemed inevitable. The right-fielder was a fan favorite amongst many, and was truly a team player in a Nationals uniform. Acquiring three prospects for Thomas was enough for Mike Rizzo to pull the trigger on the trade and based on the return, I agree with Rizzo's decision.

In his first professional season in the minor leagues, Clemmey was assigned to the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats in the Guardians organization. In 19 starts, Clemmey owns a 4.67 ERA in 69.1 innings pitched with 97 strikeouts, 47 walks, and a 1.44 WHIP, according to milb.com. The 19-year-old can bring it, his fastball touches 99 mph on occasion and has a curveball and changeup to compliment it. Control is a struggle for Clemmey, 47 walks in 69.1 innings is a large number. The beginning of the season was rough for Clemmey, surrendering at least four earned runs in four of his first five starts. He's been as advertised since then, seeing an ERA as high as 12.60 lowered to a mere 4.67. In his last 10 starts, Alex has thrown 38.1 innings with a 2.58 ERA and 58 SO to 22 walks. Sometimes a prospect's season averages don't tell the full story.

Face Value

Clemmey slots in at sixth on the Nationals Top-30 Prospect rankings on mlb.com, ahead of newly acquired Cayden Wallace and behind Cade Cavalli. High school pitching prospects aren't the most secure prospects but can generate some of the biggest upsides. Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore was drafted out of high school by the San Diego Padres and has developed into a frontline potential arm. Gore was one of the premier high school pitching prospects, going third overall in the 2017 draft. Clemmey doesn't own that sort of hype but is no slouch.

From Rhode Island, Clemmey was the Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year of high school. A top-50 draft prospect, he struck out 105 batters in just 10 starts during his senior season. The Guardians went above slot to sign Clemmey, one of the premier arms in the 2023 draft, who is now at Single A Fredericksburg in the Nationals organization.

Potential

Clemmey has top-of-the-rotation potential, although his floor is a bit lower than most prospects due to his control issues. Alex can strike batters out but must command his pitches at a higher clip to survive in higher levels of the minor leagues. Take DJ Herz for example, a current Nats left-hander, who had a game with 13 strikeouts. He issued zero walks in that start, likely the source of his success: wasting minimal pitches. Clemmey must hone in command of his arsenal to develop. 58 strikeouts in his last 38.1 innings pitched is something you cannot ignore, the left-hander is nasty on the mound. A high 90s fastball combined with two solid offspeed pitches is not what minor-league hitters want to see.

At just 19 years old, it will be a few seasons before we see Clemmey debut in D.C. MLB.com has an ETA of 2027 for Alex to D.C. and is very realistic. Clemmey would need to set the minor leagues on fire to be considered for a debut in 2026. The young left-hander needs a few professional seasons to get his body ready to withstand the demands of starting 30 games a year. The Nats now have an exciting young group of minor-league pitchers; Jarlin Susana, Travis Sykora, Jake Bennett, and Alex Clemmey.