Numbers Show Tigers Top Prospect Max Clark Has Taken Massive Leap This Season

The Detroit Tigers have a very special prospect on their hands in Max Clark.

Jul 12, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; American League outfielder Max Clark (13) of the Detroit Tigers looks on from the dugout during the first inning against National League at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball, and it's powered by several stars at the top of the list who have a chance to become the next faces of the franchise.

With the way things have gone this season, Kevin McGonigle has understandably drawn a ton of the attention in terms of prospect discourse for the team. He has shot up rankings lists and become the top-ranked youngster in the organization. He's been so good that he has even overshadowed another impressive campaign from someone else on the farm.

Fellow 2023 first-round selection Max Clark -- who had consistently been ranked ahead of McGonigle by just about every platform going into this season -- has been sensational this year as well. While Clark did not put up quite the absurd numbers McGonigle did in High-A West Michigan, his season overall as compared to 2024 has been encouraging.

Clark Improving in Numerous Critical Stat Categories

Greg Wohlford / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Playing the majority of the 2024 campaign in Single-A before being promoted to High-A at the end of the year, Clark did some encouraging things. He slashed .279/.372/.421 with nine home runs, a 12.4 walk percentage and 19.2 strikeout percentage. Starting 2025 with West Michigan was going to be the real test if he faced any major slumping.

That slump never came, though, and after 68 games, Clark joined McGonigle and fellow Whitecaps teammate Josue Briceño in earning a promotion to Double-A Erie together. Now playing more games than last season's 107 at mostly Single-A following 40 games in Erie, the numbers are in for Clark, and they have improved.

Not only has the 20-year-old's slash line jumped to .276/.408/.440, but his walk rate has climbed to nearly 18% and his strikeout rate has dropped below 17%. Clark's wRC+ has climbed from 132 last year to 151 this year, not to mention the fact that his home run total has climbed to 14.

Max Clark since being promoted to AA:

39 G
.263/.368/.462
7 HR
34 R
19 RBI
7 SB
14.1 BB % / 16.8 K%
142 wRC+

Detroit’s future is bright.pic.twitter.com/Du4xVqQ1Ja

— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) September 10, 2025

Joe Rampe of Tigers ML Report pointed out that not only has Clark's power and plate discipline -- two of the most critical factors in evaluating prospects and exactly what Detroit wanted to see him build upon -- improved leaps and bounds, but he's doing it against players who are older than him.

Not turning 21 until right before Christmas, Clark is 2.2 years younger than the average player at High-A, and an even more staggering 3.5 years younger than the average player in Double-A. He has been rock solid, and even though there has not been the statistical explosion that McGonigle had, it is very apparent that Clark is improving rapidly and is ahead of schedule.

If Clark can continue to show the organization that he is ready for the next level and keeps on improving, it is very much within the realm of possibility for him to make his big league debut sometime next season.

Consistency like he has shown over the last two years does not come around all that often, and the Tigers might have themselves a future superstar in Clark.