This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Slowly but surely, Denzel Clarke is once again living up to his billing as one of the A's top prospects.
It was a nightmarish start to the 2024 season for Clarke (Oakland’s No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline). The 24-year-old outfielder was hitting .191 with three home runs in 38 games through May at Double-A Midland, and he was striking out in 45.4 percent of his at-bats. Now, his batting average is up to .257, and he has hit 11 homers.
“He’s on track to have his best professional season,” A’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel Billy Owens said of Clarke. “Impressive, considering his start. His performance has gradually accelerated.”
With each passing month, Clarke has improved his numbers at the plate while cutting down on the strikeouts. Here’s a month-by-month breakdown:
April: .169/.247/.247 slash line, 38 strikeouts in 19 games
May: .219/.292/.391 slash line, 26 strikeouts in 19 games
June: .291/.309/.595 slash line, 21 strikeouts in 22 games
July: .359/.423/.641 slash line, 16 strikeouts in 17 games
Clarke is playing like the exciting five-tool prospect he’s been touted as in the past, having collected 31 extra-base hits with 17 stolen bases in 77 games this season while playing strong defense in center and right field. A large part of that resurgence stems just from feeling healthy again.
A nagging left shoulder injury that cut Clarke’s 2023 season short lingered into '24, limiting his offseason preparation. He did not appear in any game action until the final few days of Minor League Spring Training, and he was still trying to shake off some rust after being assigned to Double-A Midland.
“He was in a tough spot the first month of the season,” A’s Minor League hitting coordinator Jim Eppard said on A’s Cast. “Now he’s starting to dig out. He’s getting better pitches to hit and he’s starting to come around. Through these trials and failures, he’s emerging as a stronger, more confident player. He’s a tremendous talent.”
Clarke, the A's fourth-round pick out of Cal State Northridge in 2021, was part of an Oakland Draft class that included Zack Gelof, Mason Miller, Brett Harris and Max Muncy (No. 7 prospect). Clarke -- a physical specimen who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds -- is arguably the most talented of the bunch due to his array of tantalizing tools, with his mix of speed and power giving him a ceiling of star potential.
A promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas is likely on the horizon for Clarke, which would put him one step closer to the Majors.
“Denzel has unique strength with track speed,” said Owens, who likened Clarke’s physical build to White Sox star center fielder Luis Robert Jr.. “He has all-fields power, is a threat to steal bases and plays world class defense. The quality of his at-bats sharpens with experience. It’s fun to imagine Denzel achieving his enormous ceiling. Now, it’s about finishing 2024 with momentum and developing his electric tools into skills.”
Martín Gallegos covers the A's for MLB.com.