Clay Hensley is the latest player to reach the major leagues from the tradition-rich Lamar baseball program. An ace on Lamar’s 2002 team, which won the Southland Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional at Austin, Hensley dreamed of pitching in the major leagues. That dream became reality July 20.
“Like the veterans told me when I got here, getting to the major leagues isn’t hard, Hensley said. “It’s staying here that’s hard. I’m going to keep working hard and consistently throw strikes, and do whatever I can to stay in the big leagues.”
Drafted in the eighth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Hensley was traded to San Diego in April 2003. He spent that year with Lake Elsinor (Calif.) in Class A, then pitched for the Class AA Mobile Baysharks in 2004. He opened this season with the Class AAA Portland (Ore.) Beavers, posting a 2-2 record with a 2.99 earned run average. He pitched in 15 games, making 14 starts with 71 strikeouts and 22 walks in 90.1 innings pitched.
“Consistency and throwing strikes. That’s the biggest thing you can do to get to the major leagues,” Hensley said.
With the Padres needing bullpen help, Hensley was called up in July as San Diego was making its move to solidify itself as the team to beat in the National League West Division.
“I’ve been a starter all my life, but I was given a chance to make it to the big leagues in the bullpen due to some injuries on the team,” Hensley said. “This has been a life-long dream to pitch in the majors, so I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.
“They see me as a starter for them in the future and are going to give me that opportunity next year in spring training.”
As one might expect, there are some nuances in switching from a starting pitcher to a reliever, but the basic premise of pitching still applies.
“Your preparation is the biggest difference,” Hensley said. “As a starter, you pitch every five days and have a chance to rest and do some homework on the team you will be facing next.
“As a reliever, you have to be ready to pitch every day because you never know when you will be called upon to pitch. You have to get loose and prepare yourself to pitch before the game. You have to stay sharp mentally because you enter games in all different kinds of situations.
“I’ve been used in long relief and as an occasional set-up man since joining the Padres. They are showing a lot of confidence in me, so I try to do the best I can every time I’m on the mound.”
Hensley likens the road to the major leagues to a natural progression. “Every level of baseball is a stepping stone, preparing you for bigger and better things. You have to prove yourself and continue to improve in order to move up another level. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been healthy and improved myself every year to get into this position.”
Being called up to the major leagues is every minor leaguer’s dream. It’s what you do once you get there that determines whether you stay.
“My first day with the Padres was unbelievable,” Hensley said. “I was overwhelmed the first few weeks, and the game seemed so fast. After you get acclimated and get your first opportunity to pitch, the game slows down. The main thing to remember is that you are there for a reason.”
Hensley didn’t catch any breaks in his first major-league outing July 20. The first three batters he faced were Carlos Beltran, Cliff Floyd and Mike Cameron, the heart of the New York Mets batting order. He made it through, tossing 2.0 innings of scoreless relief with one strikeout and one walk.
“You can’t give them (hitters) too much credit,” Hensley said. “You have to believe in your ability. The club thinks you have the ability to pitch at that level, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
For the 2005 season, Hensley was 1-1 with a 1.70 earned run average. He pitched in 24 games, earning one start, and struck out 28 in 47 2/3 innings pitched. He also appeared in three playoff games for the Padres against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Hensley looks back at his season at Lamar as the springboard for his steady climb from the minor leagues to the majors. He was the ace of the staff in 2002, posting an 8-6 record with a 2.97 ERA and set a single-season school record with 127 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. That’s where the idea that he could make it in professional baseball started to click for him.
A native of Tomball, Hensley set a Lamar single-game and an SLC Tournament single-game record by striking out 17 Texas-Arlington batters in the Cardinals 5-3 win. He also pitched one inning with two strikeouts to earn the save in Lamar’s 5-4 win over Northwestern State in the SLC Tournament championship game. He set a new SLC Tournament record with 19 strikeouts and earned MVP honors for his efforts.
“Coming to Lamar was the best move I could have made,” said Hensley, who helped Lamar post a 38-24 record in 2002 and advance to its first NCAA Regional in seven years. “I was afforded the chance to pitch and was given more one-on-one coaching, which gave me the opportunity to learn. I give Coach (Jim) Gilligan a lot of credit. He showed me how to pitch and play the game the right way.
“We had a great team that season and had a lot of fun. I look back at that experience and can see how much it helped me get to where I am today. Being able to pitch in the NCAA Regional gave me an experience I was able to draw upon when I got to the minor leagues.
“Lamar is definitely underrated on the college level. There is a lot of respect for Coach Gilligan throughout professional baseball. Everywhere I’ve been, there has been somebody on the team or on the coaching staff that is familiar with Coach Gilligan. That’s a testament to how influential he has been in the game of baseball.”
Hensley has joined other Lamar greats, like Jerald Clark, Beau Allred, Bruce Aven, Eric Cammack, Kevin Millar and Randy Williams in reaching the majors. Hensley also knows that this is just the first step and there is much more work ahead.
“My goal was to make it to the major leagues,” he said. “Now that I’m here, I have to set the bar a little higher. I have to work a little harder and stay here as long as I can. This is a dream come true.”
