ROBINSON, TX — Chris Clemons, a former MLB pitcher, has been hired as new Robinson HS head baseball coach, according to Robinson Athletic Director Tommy Allison.
For the last seven and a half years, Clemons has been an area scout and pitching specialist for the Chicago Cubs.
"I wanted to get back into coaching from the scouting, and this opportunity came up with coaches I know, a school where my wife works, I know a bunch of the administrators, it's just a comfort factor that was second to none." Clemons said.
Clemons said he originally got into scouting because he didn't want to move away from the Robinson area. They bought a home in Robinson while he was still playing in the MLB.
Clemons' wife teaches at Robinson and his daughter graduated just two years ago. So, Clemons is no stranger to Robinson baseball, a program that is no stranger to success.
Clemons said he's excited to continue to build on that success by bringing his wide variety of experience to the dugout.
"We're gonna play the game hard. It's a situation where they know how to play the game the right way, just make sure to hold them accountable to do it all the time. It's gonna be a fun brand of baseball. It's gonna be agressive, both offensively and defensively. It's gonna be a situation where they're gonna know we're on the field, the other team is. We're gonna come at them hard, we're gonna come after them often. It's just a situation where we're gonna play the right way and end the game really dirty."
So, Robinson baseball mamas, be sure to stock up on bleach because those white jerseys are going to be dirty.
Clemons graduated from McGregor HS before going to play at Texas A&M. He was a pitcher for the '93 World Series team.
In '94, he was a first round pick, 33rd overall, to the Chicago White Sox. He played a total of eight seasons playing for the White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins organizations.
In '97, Clemons made his MLB debut for the White Sox. He played five games with two starts.
He finished his degree at Tarleton State in 2005 and then went on to serve as a pitchers and catchers coach/recruiting coordinator for McLennan Community College for three years.
In July of 2006, Clemons was named a volunteer assistant for Baylor baseball and held that position for two years before returning to MCC for two more years.
