MLB Experts Give Aggressive Potential Call-Up Date for Max Clark
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Max Clark has absolutely dominated Triple-A pitching so far and earned plenty of respect. The 21-year-old prospect is batting .367/.474/.567 with six doubles and three stolen bases through eight games with the Toledo Mud Hens. The Tigers' No. 2 prospect and No. 8 prospect in baseball has shown increased plate discipline through his small sample size this season.
He's worked seven walks while striking out just twice. Yes, it's only eight games, but he's showing huge strides in maturity at the plate. His 5.3 strikeout rate is incredible, especially compared to his 16.9 rate last season, which is still solid.
He's improving year over year and finally getting ready to be considered for a call-up. MLB.com writers Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo believe he'll be in Detroit sooner than later. In a recent article, the duo predicted him to be called up on June 11, which is Hank Greenberg's 125th Anniversary day.
"I'm going with June 11. Not that he's not going to hit, but Max is the type of guy that doesn't have to hit to help you win. Max is going to steal bases, he'll play great defense," Callis wrote.
MLB Experts Don’t Believe Clark Needs Ample Time Before Being Recalled to Detroit
June 11 may sound a little ambitious, but Mayo believes it may be sooner.
"I think that's spot on. That's a good guess, but I'm going to say sooner," Mayo said. "I look at the outfield situation in Detroit and outside of Riley Greene, maybe Parker Meadows and Kerry Carpenter are fourth outfielders. I think there is going to be a need for Max after two months of the season."
The center fielder tried a game in left field over the spring, but has played all eight games in center this season. He's also never played a minor league game in a corner-outfield spot. He'll likely need to play center in the majors, meaning a change to the roster must be made.
After spending all of 2024 in low and High-A, Clark spent another 68 games with West Michigan before being promoted to Double-A Erie for 43 games.
He hit seven homers and drove in 20 runs, but batted just .251 over 43 games. Instead of starting him out with Erie again this season, especially after his 2-for-18 spring performance, Detroit had the courage to boost him straight to Toledo.
With June just three months away, he'd still have less than a full season above the High-A level before being promoted to the major leagues, and that's not a ton of time. Detroit needs to be fair to Clark, it's not like they need him now anyway.
Parker Meadows Is Holding Down the Fort Well in Center Field for the Tigers
Parker Meadows has a .280/.357/.400 slash line over his first eight games and stole three bases. He doesn't boast the power/speed threat of Clark, but he's played well so far this season. Even his 0 defensive runs saved this season is average for an outfielder, and his sprint speed was 90th percentile last season.
Unless something catastrophic happens, the Tigers have no reason to rush Clark. Giving him most of, if not this entire season to continue to develop would be ideal, despite June 11th being an exciting time to see him in Detroit.
Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.