Royce Clayton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royce Clayton |
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Clayton with the St. Louis Cardinals
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| Shortstop | ||||||||||||||
| Born: January 2, 1970 Burbank, California, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| September 20, 1991, for the San Francisco Giants | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| September 30, 2007, for the Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .258 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 110 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 723 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Royce Spencer Clayton (born January 2, 1970) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a shortstop, a key defensive position. Clayton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for many teams from 1991 to 2007. These teams included the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox.
As a young player, Clayton played baseball at St. Bernard High School. He also played for the United States national under-18 baseball team. The Giants picked him in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 1991. The Giants later traded Clayton to the Cardinals. There, he took over as starting shortstop from his childhood hero, Ozzie Smith. Clayton was chosen for the All-Star Game in 1997.
After his playing career, Clayton appeared in the movie Moneyball. He also started different businesses. Since 2016, he has been the head varsity baseball coach at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Royce Clayton was born on January 2, 1970, in Burbank, California. He grew up in Inglewood. His parents taught him that school was very important. They did not let him play Little League Baseball until he was eight years old. He started playing as a third baseman.
After watching a game at Dodger Stadium, Clayton began to look up to Ozzie Smith. Smith was a famous shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. Because of Smith, Royce decided to become a shortstop too.
High School Baseball and National Team
Instead of going to his local high school, Clayton attended St. Bernard High School. It was a private school in Playa del Rey. He played shortstop for the school's baseball team. Sometimes, Clayton would do a back flip on the field, just like Ozzie Smith was known for.
In 1987, during his junior year, Clayton had a great batting average of .448. He played in a championship game at Dodger Stadium, but his team lost. He was invited to a special event called the U.S. Olympic Festival. He also earned a spot on the United States national under-18 baseball team. This team played in the 1987 World Junior Baseball Championships in Canada. The U.S. team won the silver medal, losing to Cuba in the final game.
In his senior year of 1988, Clayton's batting average was even better at .513. He decided to attend the University of Southern California (USC) to play college baseball. He chose USC over other big universities.
Professional Baseball Career
Joining the San Francisco Giants (1988–1995)
Before the 1988 MLB draft, Royce Clayton was considered one of the top young players in America. The San Francisco Giants chose him in the first round as the 15th overall pick. Clayton decided to sign with the Giants for $195,000 instead of going to USC.
He started his professional career in the minor leagues. In 1988, he played for the Everett Giants. He then moved up to the Clinton Giants and San Jose Giants. He worked hard and improved his hitting and stolen bases. In 1990, he had a .267 batting average and 33 stolen bases.
In 1991, Clayton played for the Shreveport Captains. He had a .280 batting average and 36 stolen bases. He helped Shreveport win the Texas League championship. After this great season, the Giants called him up to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on September 20, 1991.
In 1992, Clayton became the Giants' starting shortstop on Opening Day. However, he struggled with his hitting and was sent down to the minor leagues for a while. He returned later that season. By 1993, he was the Giants' regular shortstop. He had a strong year, batting .282 and setting a team record for RBIs by a shortstop. He also led all National League shortstops in turning double plays.
Clayton continued to play for the Giants through the 1995 season. He was a good defensive player, leading National League shortstops in putouts and assists in 1995. After the 1995 season, the Giants started thinking about trading Clayton. They wanted to get new pitchers and had another young shortstop ready to play.
Becoming a St. Louis Cardinal (1996–1998)
In December 1995, the Giants traded Clayton to the St. Louis Cardinals. This was a big move because the Cardinals' legendary shortstop, Ozzie Smith, was getting older. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wanted Clayton to compete for the starting job.
In 1996, even though Ozzie Smith had good spring training, La Russa chose Clayton to start on Opening Day. Some Cardinals fans were not happy because they loved Ozzie Smith. But Clayton played well, batting .277 and stealing 33 bases. He also had a good fielding percentage, meaning he made few errors. Ozzie Smith announced he would retire at the end of the season, making Clayton the team's future shortstop. The Cardinals made it to the playoffs that year.
In 1997, Clayton signed a new contract with the Cardinals. He was chosen for the 1997 MLB All-Star Game as a replacement for an injured player. At that time, he was hitting well and stealing bases. He finished the 1997 season batting .266 and led all National League shortstops in assists. Before the 1998 season, he signed another contract with the Cardinals.
Playing for the Texas Rangers (1998–2000)
In July 1998, the Cardinals traded Clayton to the Texas Rangers. He became the Rangers' starting shortstop. He played well for Texas, batting .285 in 52 games that season. The Rangers won their division but lost in the playoffs.
After the 1998 season, Clayton became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. He chose to stay with the Rangers, signing a four-year contract. In 1999, he batted .288, and the Rangers won their division again. However, they lost in the playoffs once more.
In April 2000, Clayton had a disagreement with a teammate, Chad Curtis, about music. Their manager, Johnny Oates, had them apologize to each other. Clayton finished the 2000 season batting .242. He also led all American League shortstops in putouts.
Time with the White Sox and Brewers (2001–2003)
In December 2000, the Rangers traded Clayton to the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox wanted him to improve their defense at shortstop. Clayton struggled with his hitting early in the 2001 season but improved later, finishing with a .263 batting average.
In 2002, Clayton's hitting struggles returned. He was sometimes benched by the White Sox manager. The White Sox released him in September 2002. He finished the season batting .251.
In December 2002, the Milwaukee Brewers signed Clayton to be their starting shortstop for the 2003 season. He hit 11 home runs that year. After the season, the Brewers decided not to keep him for 2004, making him a free agent again.
Later Career and Retirement (2004–2007)
In 2004, Clayton signed with the Colorado Rockies. He became their starting shortstop and had a good year, batting .270. He also led all National League shortstops with a .986 fielding percentage, meaning he made very few errors. However, the Rockies did not re-sign him.
In 2005, he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was their starting shortstop. He batted .270 in 143 games.
In 2006, Clayton signed with the Washington Nationals. He became their starting shortstop when another player got injured. He batted .269 for Washington. In July 2006, the Nationals traded Clayton to the Cincinnati Reds. He played 50 games for the Reds.
In 2007, Clayton signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He shared playing time at shortstop. The Blue Jays released him in August 2007.
Clayton then signed with the Boston Red Sox in August. He wanted to play for a team that could make the playoffs. The Red Sox were his 11th MLB team, which tied a record for position players. He played eight games for the Red Sox. The Red Sox went on to win the 2007 World Series that year! Even though Clayton did not play in the playoffs, he received a World Series ring in 2008.
After not getting any more contract offers, Royce Clayton retired from baseball in March 2008. He finished his career with a .258 batting average, 110 home runs, and 1,904 hits. In 2013, he was considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he did not receive enough votes.
Life After Baseball
After his baseball career, Royce Clayton became involved in different businesses. He also started coaching youth baseball. He coached Little League Baseball in Malibu, California.
On September 12, 2016, Clayton became the head varsity baseball coach for Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California.
Family Life and Movies
Royce Clayton met Samantha Davies, a runner who competed in the 2000 Olympics for Great Britain. They got married in 2001. They have two daughters, Niya and Imani, and two sons, Royce Jr. and Elijah. Elijah, Niya, and Imani are triplets. Royce's older brother, Royal Clayton, also played professional baseball.
Clayton was an adviser for the 2002 movie The Rookie. In 2011, Clayton played the role of Miguel Tejada in the movie Moneyball.
See also
- List of Colorado Rockies team records
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
