FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Koby Clemens smiled wide as he described his favorite memory of his minor league career so far, the night he played third base while his superstar dad was on the mound as his teammate.

“We were throwing the ball around the horn before the first pitch of the game and I flipped the ball to him,” Koby said. “I’ll never forget that moment.”

OK, Koby, but how about a highlight that’s strictly yours?

He thinks for a moment, then picks the final game of last season. He was walking to the batter’s box when it was announced that he was coming out of the game — and that he’d just won the California League batting and RBI titles; in fact, he drove in the most runs in the entire minor leagues. A standing ovation followed.

“That was pretty awesome,” he said. “It’s something that’s mine and can’t be taken away ever.”

Put those scenes together and you’ve got a full picture of 23-year-old Koby Clemens.

Koby is Roger’s kid, and darn proud of it. No, he’s not a pitcher, and while he’s a legitimate pro prospect, he’s not the phenom his dad was. He’s OK with that, and so is his famous-turned-infamous father.

Koby is built stocky like his dad, but at 5-foot-11 he’s about five inches shorter. They have the same desire and work ethic, though. It shows in Koby’s willingness — eagerness, even — to change positions. Since breaking in at third base, he’s been a catcher and an outfielder. This season, he’s learning to play first base for the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

His glove and arm are good enough. It’s his lively bat that has him on the parent club’s radar. With a right-handed, uppercut swing, Koby is among the home run and RBI leaders in the Texas League, proving his breakout last season was no fluke.

“He’s chasing his dreams, he’s loving it,” Roger Clemens said. “Obviously, he’s keeping a real close eye on his buddies who are moving up through the ranks. He wants to get up there and help the team win.”

Roger was the age Koby is now when his career as “The Rocket” took off.

He went 24-4 for the Boston Red Sox in 1986, earning his first Cy Young Award and his only AL MVP trophy. He started the All-Star game in the city where he grew up (Houston) and was the game’s MVP. The Red Sox came within an out of winning the World Series, too.

About six weeks after that slow grounder went between Bill Buckner’s legs, Koby was born.

He was the first of four kids for Roger and Debbie Clemens. All are boys, and all their names start with K, the scorecard symbol for a strikeout.

Roger never pushed any into baseball. When Koby got serious about the game, Roger understood the mound wasn’t his favorite place.

“I enjoyed competing, trying to get guys out,” Koby said, “but I liked playing the field and hitting more than anything.”

Roger warned his kids at an early age that opponents in any sport “are going to give you their best just because of your last name.” Koby learned to have fun with that, make it part of the challenge.

It became more challenging when the Mitchell Report came out, filled with a former trainer’s accusations — and supposed evidence — that his father used performance-enhancing drugs during his late-career resurgence.

Roger Clemens fought back against his accuser and things have been messy ever since, with a federal grand jury weighing whether to indict him for perjury. His spot in the Hall of Fame is in doubt (despite 354 wins and more strikeouts than any pitcher but Nolan Ryan) and the Clemens name became a bigger burden for a kid in the low minors.

“When your dad is great in this game and everybody expects you to fill those shoes, that’s enough pressure as it is,” said Lou Santangelo, Koby’s teammate on the Hooks. “Then, all of that stuff happened off the field. There were a lot of days I really felt for him.”

Koby is fiercely loyal to his dad, “absolutely proud of all the stuff he’s done in the game of baseball” and he stands by him in his fight to clear his name. The kind of person and player Koby is could be the best reputation-changer for his old man.

Whatever anyone wants to say about Roger Clemens as a person, player or teammate, he seems to have gotten it right as a father.

Koby is beloved by everyone in the organization, especially his teammates. He’s remained one of the guys, even if he’s not in so many ways — the most autograph and interview requests, the loudest, meanest hecklers, having already seen and done things in the game that most guys will never experience.

Everyone knows his dad’s feats and the fortune he’s made, but Koby has no sense of entitlement.

“He’s had a pretty exciting life, I’d say,” said outfielder J.B. Shuck, in his second year as Koby’s teammate. “He handles it really well. You hear some good stories every once in a while, but he doesn’t go around talking about it like he probably could if he really wanted to.”

His father is a huge source of encouragement. Instead of being disappointed the game that was so easy for him has been so tough for his oldest son, Roger admires Koby’s perseverance.

“It’s a game of failures; you’re going to fail a lot,” he said. “You’ve just got to continue to pick yourself up and go.”

Roger goes to games whenever he can, which has been more often this season with Corpus Christi only 225 miles from Houston. When he can’t go, he watches live on the Internet.

They talk before most games and almost always after. Roger offers technical advice (yes, even about hitting), wisdom from an old pro and the supportive stuff you’d expect from a father.

“He understands and he’s able to relate that much better,” Koby said.

“He knows what I’m feeling when things are going great and when things are going bad and what to say to help even me out. It’s great to have him. Not just because he was a baseball player, but because he’s my dad.”

Koby lives with his parents and spends the offseasons working out with his dad and taking whacks against him in their back yard batting cage. Koby also hit against his father in the Texas League’s Home Run Derby; the wind was blowing in hard and he was among six guys who didn’t clear the fences.

“He’s never added any more pressure,” Koby said. “I know what I can do, what I’m capable of. I’m just out there trying to do what I can do, not what people expect me to do.”

If Koby makes the majors, he’d tack another accomplishment onto his dad’s resume. Roger would be the first member of the 300-win or 3,000-strikeout club to have a son become a big leaguer.

It could happen soon.

The Astros are considering trading first baseman Lance Berkman by the July 31 deadline. Regardless, Berkman probably won’t be back next season, and there’s no golden child waiting at Triple-A. Koby — an eighth-round pick in 2005 — could go into spring training penciled in as the starter.

“If he continues to work, he’s going to play in the big leagues,” said Ricky Bennett, Houston’s director of player development. “And he’s got a chance to be a real good major league player.”

Bennett said this clear path to the majors wasn’t part of the plan when Koby was shifted to first base. It also just so happens that the Astros have a new hitting coach who would be the perfect mentor: Jeff Bagwell, a friend since Koby was 15 and himself an upper-cutting third baseman switched to first to get him into the lineup.

Koby certainly sees how things could be falling into place. But after breaking into baseball hoping to reach the majors in three years, then spending four full seasons in Class A, he’s trying to block it out. He’s focused on improving his footwork around the bag and becoming more consistent at the plate.

“It’s just that sometimes I have been caught up in stuff like that, worrying about what can happen or expecting things to happen and then they don’t and it put me in a tailspin,” he said. “Last season was a perfect example of how I just worried about things I could control and took advantage of my opportunities.

“That’s the same approach I’m taking now. Whatever happens up there, happens. When it’s time for me to get called up and moved into the big leagues, it’ll be the right time for me.”

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