A's OF Denzel Clarke's Jaw-Dropping Catch Against Baltimore Orioles
In this story:
When the Athletics selected centerfielder Denzel Clarke in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, he was a raw product that had off-the-charts athleticism. After grinding his way through the minors for four seasons, he reached the big leagues on May 23 as the A's tried to improve their outfield defense. In his 14 games with the team, he's left spectators in awe with his play in center.
On Friday night, he left everyone on the baseball-loving internet with their jaws hanging open with the catch he made in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles.
DENZEL CLARKE
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2025
FULL SPEED
UNBELIEVABLE CATCH 🤯 pic.twitter.com/TAnMSkksTE
There has recently been talk about the A's warning track being bigger than in most other MLB ballparks, but Clarke is well aware of how large the dirt in the outfield is. He just kept running because he wanted to make that play.
Aside from running into the wall full speed and holding onto the ball, the most impressive part of this play is the amount of distance he covered on that catch. It was said multiple times in the press box earlier this week that Clarke is so impressive out there because of the routes he takes to the ball, and how it looks like he's just gliding out there. He's just such a smooth defender.
Clarke's catch was so impressive that MLB posted two separate highlights of it on social media, with this second slow-mo version giving starter JP Sears' reaction.
We have no words 😮 https://t.co/ITHLp6Uv4U pic.twitter.com/YKl3UL69hz
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2025
Clarke would stay in the game and get another at-bat, but he was ultimately removed from the game in the top of the sixth inning for Seth Brown, who re-joined the club earlier in the day.
Martín Gallegos of MLB.com talked to Clarke after the game about his shoulder. "'I'm feeling alright. Feel better now that we won. We'll see how everything turns out tomorrow. ... Honestly, it feels strong and feels like it's holding up pretty good."
Even though first baseman Nick Kurtz is on the IL, and catcher Shea Langeliers joined him on Friday, if the A's were to be without Clarke for any length of time, his skill set is one that they wouldn't be able to replace. Hitters can get hot for a period of time and make up for some lost offense, but you can't just get hot and provide Gold Glove caliber defense.
The advanced stats love Clarke's glove. In his two weeks with the Athletics, the 25-year-old has already put himself into the discussion of the best fielders in the game. Heading into Friday's game, Clarke had +6 OAA, which was good enough to rank him No. 14 in all of baseball--over the course of the entire 2025 season.
Nick Allen and Ernie Clement, two former A's players, rank No. 1 and No. 3 with a +12 and a +10. In all fairness, Clarke is technically tied for No. 14 with seven other players, but given his catch on Friday night, he could easily move up into a tie for No. 8 on the list, too.
Clarke's catch on Friday night arguably saved the game for the Athletics. With the club leading 4-3, Sears walked two with two outs, placing runners at first and second before Jorge Mateo drove the ball to left-center. If Clarke doesn't catch that ball, both runs likely come around to score, given the number of outs in the inning and plenty of time to run when the ball was in the air.
He said he's feeling ok, but we'll have to wait and see how that shoulder feels when he gets to the ballpark on Saturday afternoon.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
Follow byjasonb