Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60

Clark is the best prospect to come out of Indiana since Bryan Bullington went No. 1 overall in 2002 and the state's best prepster ever. Gatorade's National Baseball Player of the Year, he's a viable candidate for the Pirates with the top pick. Besides his physical ability, he has excellent makeup and a penchant for rising to the occasion, such as when he provided a clutch homer against Canada and three hits in the gold medal-winning game against Taiwan at the 18-and-under World Cup in September. 

Clark has four tools that grade as at least plus, starting with his hitting ability, which some evaluators rate as plus-plus. He has a sweet left-handed swing and a mature approach that focuses on smoking line drives from gap to gap. He presently concentrates on making hard contact rather than launching balls, but his bat speed and projectable strength should translate into at least 20-homer power that he already hints at in batting practice. 

Clark is a double-plus runner and his quickness makes him an asset on the bases and in the outfield. The Vanderbilt is a no-doubt center fielder who enhances his physical ability with his reads and routes. He also has a well above-average arm that produces fastballs clocked up to 97 mph when he takes the mound. 

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60

After helping the U.S. capture the gold medal in the 18-and-under World Cup, Clark was the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Indiana after hitting .646/.808/1.215 during his senior campaign at Franklin Community HS in the spring. The Tigers selected him third overall, making him the Hoosier State’s highest-ever pick as a position player. They signed him below slot at $7.7 million, allowing the club to add Kevin McGonigle and Paul Wilson later in the process. Clark steamrolled through the Florida Complex League (.283/.411/.543 in 12 games) before getting a quick look at Single-A Lakeland, where he walked 12 times in 11 games but did little else offensively.

The 6-foot-1 outfielder seized the attention of early Detroit evaluators with plus-plus speed that immediately made him one of the most athletic players on any field he took, and his arm strength -- he was clocked up to 97 mph off the mound as a prepster -- gave him another asset on the defensive side. At the plate, he proved to be selective with his swings, rarely expanding the zone against low-level arms, and his left-handed swing played well to all fields. He might need some time to adjust to velocity, but the approach and physical tools are advanced enough that modification should come in time.

That gives Clark four plus-to-double-plus tools. The only question that remains is his power. His early exit velocities in the Florida State League didn’t stand out in a small sample, and Clark is close to being maxed out physically, even at a young age. He still has the bat speed to get to more pop and push his gap doubles over the fence, and if that happens, he has the five-tool potential on which dreams are built.

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60

Clark is the best prospect to come out of Indiana since Bryan Bullington went No. 1 overall in 2002 and the state's best prepster ever. Gatorade's National Baseball Player of the Year, he was considered a potential No. 1 pick himself before going to the Tigers at No. 3 and signing for $7.7 million. Besides his physical ability, he has excellent makeup and a penchant for rising to the occasion, such as when he provided a clutch homer against Canada and three hits in the gold medal-winning game at the 18-and-under World Cup in September. 

Clark has four tools that grade as at least plus, starting with his hitting ability, which some evaluators rate as plus-plus. He has a sweet left-handed swing and a mature approach that focuses on smoking line drives from gap to gap. He presently concentrates on making hard contact rather than launching balls, but his bat speed and projectable strength should translate into at least 20-homer power that he already hints at in batting practice. 

Clark is a double-plus runner and his quickness makes him an asset on the bases and in the outfield. The former Vanderbilt commit is a no-doubt center fielder who enhances his physical ability with his reads and routes. He also has a well-above-average arm that produced fastballs clocked up to 97 mph when he took the mound.

Awards

FSL Top MLB Prospect

Year	Team
2024

FSL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2024

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2024

FSL Player of the Week

Week	Team
05/26/2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	07/21/2024	OF Max Clark assigned to West Michigan Whitecaps from Lakeland Flying Tigers.
	07/12/2024	OF Max Clark assigned to American League Futures.
	03/07/2024	Detroit Tigers Prospects activated OF Max Clark.
	08/24/2023	OF Max Clark assigned to Lakeland Flying Tigers from FCL Tigers.
	08/24/2023	Lakeland Flying Tigers activated OF Max Clark.
	07/29/2023	OF Max Clark assigned to FCL Tigers.
	07/17/2023	Detroit Tigers signed OF Max Clark.
	06/07/2023	OF Max Clark assigned to College Workout.
	05/06/2023	OF Max Clark and assigned to High School Workout.
	08/24/2022	OF Max Clark assigned to USA Baseball 18U National Team.
	07/01/2022	High School Workout activated OF Max Clark.
	07/01/2022	High School Workout activated OF Max Clark.
	07/01/2022	OF Max Clark assigned to High School Workout.
	09/23/2021	OF Max Clark and assigned to American.