Clement to stick?

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Pirates' Jeff Clement's stick may help him stick

"When he came here, two things stood out for me," hitting coach Don Long said. "He's got a lot of raw power, and he really knows the strike zone. He sees the ball well, recognizes pitches well, knows what's in the zone, what he should attack and what not."

The left-handed hitter, the third pick in the 2005 draft out of Southern California, won that year's Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top college catcher. He has compiled a .282 average and a .865 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in five minor league seasons, including two 20-homer years.

Yet his success has yet to carry over to the majors, where he batted .227 with a .295 on-base percentage in 203 at-bats two years ago in his most extensive look. He says he thinks lack of a regular opportunity has hampered him.

Last year, he had 21 homers, 90 RBI and a .850 OPS in a season split between the Mariners' Class AAA team in Tacoma, Wash., and the Pirates' Class AAA team in Indianapolis but wasn't called up.

"It's tough to hit no matter who you are. And when you're not playing every day, it makes it 10 times more difficult," said Clement, 26, who has made his swing more compact, at Long's urging. "Getting at-bats every single day, I have the confidence I can produce a lot at the major league level."