Prospect Spotlight: Max Clark

A closer look at the Tigers' top draft pick in 2023

Prospect Spotlight 🔦

Max Clark – Age: 19 – B/T: L/L, 6’0” 205 – Tigers (Low-A)

• Born: 12/21/2004 in Franklin, IN

• Draft: 2023, Detroit Tigers, Round: 1, Overall Pick: 3

• High School: Franklin Community High School

There are lofty expectations for any top five pick, but expectations rise when you get drafted in between Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford, two of the highest profile positional prospects in recent memory. Tigers fans may be frustrated to see Langford already in the big leagues when Max Clark is just in A-ball, but it’s important for them to remember that Clark was drafted out of high school and not everyone takes a Jackson Holliday esque route to the big leagues. Max Clark had a slow start to the season, but is currently finding his groove in his first year of professional baseball down in Single-A Lakeland.

Let’s first look at Clark’s profile as an amateur to level set expectations. Heading into the draft, Clark was seen as a hit over power type of bat, who had double plus speed and would be a plus defender in center. Many draft analysts had Clark as having the best pure hit tool in the high school class. In my rankings, I listed him as the #4 overall prospect in the class, noting the similarities between him and Corbin Carroll out of high school, though I thought Clark would hit for less power. Data from the showcase circuit backed up these notions accurately.