Roger Clemens may soon be back with the Astros. No, it’s not to bolster their starting rotation.
According to The Houston Chronicle, Clemens was scheduled to meet on Monday with Astros general manager Kevin Luhnow about taking on an unspecified “active role” with the team. The position would, apparently, give Clemens the option to work with pitchers in spring training as much as he wants.
Owner Jim Crane and pitching coach Doug Brocail are reportedly “on board” with the move, which likely suggests it would be in some sort of coaching role, rather than in scouting or the front office. Late last season, Clemens pitched several times for the independent league Sugar Land Skeeters, leading to many speculating that the 50-year-old would attempt an MLB comeback, which never materialized.
“So far, all indications are he’s eager to participate, eager to help our young pitchers. And certainly, there’s a lot of [acceptance] on our side to get him involved,” Lunhow told The Chronicle. “So yeah, we’re moving ahead. A lot of the things we teach … a lot of the things we want our pitchers to model themselves after, Roger’s the perfect example of them. So it’s great when you can produce him in the flesh and he can talk about his experiences.”
On Wednesday, Clemens will learn the results of the voting in his first year of Hall of Fame candidacy.
