Royce Clayton


‧ Position: Shortstop.

‧ Height: 6-foot.

‧ Weight: 185 pounds.

‧ Bats: Right.

‧ Throws: Right.

‧ Age: 34.

‧ Acquired: Signed to a minor league contract Jan. 15 after playing with
             Milwaukee in 2003.

‧ Status: Will be the starting shortstop and bat second.

‧ Career highlights: Has compiled a career .973 fielding percentage, including
                      participation in 957 double plays in 1,570 games at
                      shortstop . . . Hit 14 home runs in both the 1999 and
                      2000 seasons . . . Has appeared in the postseason three
                      times - with St. Louis in 1996 and Texas in 1998 and
                      1999 . . . Selected to the National League All-Star team
                      in 1997.

‧ Personal: Originally signed with San Francisco as a first-round draft pick
             out of high school in 1988 . . . Married to Samantha Davis, a
             sprinter from England who competed in the 200 meters in the 2000
             Sydney Olympics and will attempt to qualify for the 2004
             Athens Olympics this summer . . . Brother Royal was a pitcher in
             the Toronto system.

‧ Who had the biggest impact on your career?
             "My brother Royal, Dusty Baker and Robby Thompson. At an early
              age, my brother set the barometer. I always tried to keep up with
              him. To this day, he can still get the best out of me. He's a big
              supporter. He's someone I can talk to about the game. Dusty
              taught me how to go about life off the field. My first year he
              would call down and take me out to lunch and talk about baseball
              and makeup. He would say I may not understand what he was telling
              me right now, but I would sooner or later. And I did. Robby took
              me under his wing as a rookie. He taught me pride in being a
              middle infielder. He taught me to separate my offense and
              defense."