Royce Clayton

Royce Spencer Clayton was born on January 2, 1970, in Burbank, California, and grew up in Inglewood. His father, Royal Sr., sold cars, and his mother, Antoinette, worked for Trans World Airlines. He has an older brother, Royal Jr. Raised in a middle-class home, his parents emphasized academics and didn’t let him play Little League until he was eight. He started as a third baseman but switched to shortstop after watching Dodgers–Cardinals game at Dodger Stadium and idolizing St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith.

Clayton attended St. Bernard High School, a private school in Playa del Rey, rather than nearby Inglewood High. He played shortstop for the baseball team and sometimes did a back flip on the field, mimicking Smith. As a junior in 1987, he batted .448. His team lost the CIF Southern Section 1-A championship at Dodger Stadium to Whittier Christian High School. He also played for the U.S. national under-18 team at the 1987 World Junior Baseball Championships in Windsor, Ontario, where the U.S. won a silver medal after losing to Cuba. In his senior year of 1988, Clayton hit .513 over 26 games. He signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball at USC on a scholarship, choosing the Trojans over Florida State and Loyola Marymount.

The MLB Scouting Bureau listed Clayton among the 25 best amateur prospects before the 1988 draft. The San Francisco Giants selected him 15th overall in the first round. He signed for a $195,000 bonus, bypassing USC. Assigned to the Everett Giants of the Class A Short Season Northwest League, he hit .259 with 30 RBIs and 10 steals in 60 games in 1988. In 1989, he started with the Clinton Giants of the Class A Midwest League, batting below .200 through May, then hit .310 in June and July, earning a promotion to the San Jose Giants of the Class A-Advanced California League on July 29. He batted .120 with 10 steals in 28 games there. Returning to San Jose in 1990, he hit .252 in the first half and delivered the game-winning hit in the California League all-star game. He finished the season at .267 with seven home runs, 71 RBIs, and 33 steals.

In 1991, Clayton played for the Shreveport Captains of the Double-A Texas League, appearing in the league’s all-star game. He hit .280 with 68 RBIs and 36 steals, helping Shreveport win the Texas League championship. After the season, Baseball America named him the league’s best defensive shortstop and most exciting player, and The Sporting News called him the top prospect in baseball. The Giants promoted him to the majors for their final road trip, and he debuted on September 20, batting .115 (3-for-26) in nine games.

He arrived at spring training in 1992 having added 15 pounds, going from 160 to 175. He competed with José Uribe for the starting shortstop job and made the Opening Day roster. After hitting .207 through June 20, the Giants demoted him to the Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds, where he batted .237 in 43 games. He was recalled on August 19 when Uribe went on the disabled list with a torn rib-cage muscle. For the season, Clayton hit .224 in 98 games and earned the league minimum of $109,000.

Before 1993, Clayton signed a one-year, $155,000 contract. With Uribe gone, he became the regular shortstop. He batted .282 in 153 games, tying Chris Speier’s franchise record of 70 RBIs for a shortstop, and led all National League shortstops with 103 double plays. After the season, the Giants offered him a four-year, $9.2 million deal. The Giants traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the 1996 season, where he replaced his childhood idol, Ozzie Smith, as the starting shortstop and made the All-Star Game in 1997. He was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1998 and re-signed with them as a free agent that offseason. From 2001 to 2007, he played for the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox.

After retiring, Clayton appeared in the film Moneyball and pursued various business ventures. Since 2016, he has been the head varsity baseball coach at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California.