LAKELAND, Fla. -- The first time Alan Trammell met Kody Clemens last summer, the Hall of Famer did not bring up the .364 average and 14 RBIs he posted against his father. Or that Trammell was one of just two Tigers starters to fan only once during Clemens' 20-strikeout game at Tiger Stadium in 1996.

"No, no, I haven’t even gone there," Trammell said with a laugh. "I had a little success."

What Trammell did was look past the name and look at the player the Tigers acquired with their third-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft, and what the second baseman brought to the system.

“Obviously coming from the background and all, he’s been around baseball. But he’s very coachable,” Trammell said.

Likewise, when the youngest son of Roger Clemens met Trammell last summer, he wasn't thinking about getting instruction from a Hall of Famer. Well, he was trying not to, anyway.

"When you're in the moment with him, you're working and not thinking about that," the Tigers' second-base prospect said. "But after the fact, it's like, 'Dang. He was an absolutely beast.' When you kind of take a step back and look around and realize who he is, it's pretty cool."

This is the dichotomy of the younger Clemens, the 22-year-old whom the Tigers hope might become an impact bat in their rebuild. Detroit didn’t draft Clemens for the family name. They were looking for hitters at premium positions and saw value in last year's Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, a key part of the University of Texas run to the College World Series.

At the same time, the family ties are unmistakable. Part of Clemens' strengths come from his upbringing around the game, from the work ethic to the instincts on the diamond. His defense at second base is partly his positioning, which he learned with encouragement from his father.

"I might not be as quick as the other infielders," he said, "but if you know a pitch is being thrown, you can kind of shade over to the pull side if they're throwing an offspeed pitch, and the same if a guy's throwing 100 or whatever on a lefty. You can shade up the middle on a lefty if he might be a little late. Or based off of his previous swing in an at-bat, if he's late on the fastball, you can slide over a little bit, or if he was super early on the offspeed, whatever way, you can figure out where they're going to hit the ball.

"My dad actually told me all of that when I was younger, because Cal Ripken would do it. He wasn't the quickest, but he sure would make every play, because he'll step over for this pitch or step over for that pitch. It’s just being a smart baseball player."

When the younger Clemens entered his first offseason as a pro, having to set his own schedule after playing fall baseball for his college career, he picked up advice and motivation from his dad.

"He always said, 'What are other people doing right now?'" Kody said. "That's what motivated him to work hard and get better every single day, because he would think that other people were doing X amount of work more than him."

So along with his brother, Kody Clemens worked out this offseason. But he was missing baseball activity badly enough that he reported to Tigertown in mid-January.

Ironically, when the Tigers brought Clemens from Minor League camp to join the big league club as an extra player for Sunday's split-squad game against the Orioles in Sarasota, the O's brought over Ripken's son, Ryan, from their Minor League camp. Clemens made his first appearance in a Tigers uniform in another split-squad game last Monday against the Phillies in Clearwater while his family was in town.

While he was around, Roger Clemens visited Tigertown last week, speaking with Minor League players in camp. He visited Class A West Michigan last summer during his son's 41-game stretch there, where another former Tigers great became a fan.

"What a great kid Kody is," said West Michigan manager Lance Parrish. "Before you know him, you're always a little skeptical about what this guy is going to be like. But he was awesome. Great teammate, played hard, always had a smile on his face."

Clemens batted .302 with an .864 OPS at West Michigan last summer before moving to Class A Advanced Lakeland, where he hit .238 (10-for-42) with a home run and three RBIs. Given Clemens' college experience and age -- he turns 23 in May -- he has the chance to advance aggressively up the developmental ladder if he continues to progress. Trammell believes he can stick at second base with some minor adjustments.

"He’s got the package, and he’s a tough-minded kid," Trammell said.