@atsbaseball: Replacing an MLB legend is never easy. In 1996, the Cardinals traded for Royce Clayton and handed him the keys to the shortstop position. A spot that had been occupied by future hall of famer Ozzie Smith for the last 14 years in St. Louis. This wasn’t any easy transition for Clayton, especially from a public perspective as he explains here. His home fans booed him every game and it felt like he was playing in Ozzie’s shadow, but once his mother helped put things into perspective everything changed for him. He hit .346 in the 1996 playoffs, leading off for a Cardinals team that fell one game short of the World Series. Clayton spent 2.5 seasons in St. Louis providing great value on defense and in the leadoff spot before being traded to the Rangers at the 1998 trade deadline. The Full Royce Clayton episode is live on Youtube now! Follow for more💨

All the Smoke BASEBALL

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Wednesday 08 July 2026 16:00:00 GMT