Detroit Tigers Top Prospect Gets Phenomenal New Ranking From Insider Keith Law

According to Law, of The Athletic, Max Clark is now the No. 2 prospect in the sport.
American League Future  outfielder Max Clark (13) makes a catch during the fourth inningagainst the National League Future team during the Major league All-Star Futures game at Globe Life Field in 2024.
American League Future outfielder Max Clark (13) makes a catch during the fourth inningagainst the National League Future team during the Major league All-Star Futures game at Globe Life Field in 2024. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Keith Law of 'The Athletic' has high praise for Detroit Tigers' top prospect Max Clark, who he has ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball in his most recent update.

He’s chased pitches beyond the shadow of the strike zone just 6 percent of the time, and his overall whiff rate is only 15 percent. I might consider challenging him with Double A sooner rather than later, even though his power hasn’t shown up yet and he may struggle at the outset, because his strike zone judgement is too advanced for his current level.

Clark, 20, is currently ranked at No. 7 by MLB Pipeline, for comparison. A first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of the Indiana high school ranks, he's currently playing for the West Michigan Whitecaps. That's the High-A affiliate of the Tigers, and he's hitting .270 with a .426 on-base percentage. He's got four homers, 30 RBIs and six doubles. He's struck out just 29 times in comparison to 40 walks. He's stolen eight bases.

Clark is part of a great wave of Tigers prospects including Kevin McGonigle (No. 26, MLB) and Josue Briceno (No. 81 MLB). Jackson Jobe just graduated off the top prospects list and was widely considered a Top-10 prospect in the game.

At the big-league level, Detroit is now 37-20 and owners of the best record in the American League. They are in first place in the American League Central and will start a new series with the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at 8:10 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.