'Never satisfied,' A's No. 10 prospect off to the races in Arizona Fall League
MESA, Ariz. -- Denzel Clarke features some of the best all-around tools in the Arizona Fall League, and he put several of them on display on Opening Night. Clarke went 2-for-4, stole two bases and made a nice running catch in the right-center gap to rob Creed Willems (Orioles) of
MESA, Ariz. -- Denzel Clarke features some of the best all-around tools in the Arizona Fall League, and he put several of them on display on Opening Night.
Clarke went 2-for-4, stole two bases and made a nice running catch in the right-center gap to rob Creed Willems (Orioles) of extra bases. The Athletics' No. 10 prospect also scored the game's lone run, leading off the bottom of the ninth inning with a line-drive single, swiping second base and coming home on an RBI single by Max Ferguson (Red Sox) to give the Mesa Solar Sox a 1-0 victory over the Surprise Saguaros.
A 2021 fourth-round pick out of Cal State Northridge, Clarke is a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder who combines plus raw power and speed with quality defense in center field. His athleticism prompted one A's official to liken him to Bo Jackson.
While that comparison may be a bit much, Clarke does have more athletic connections than most players. His mother, Donna Clarke, represented Canada as a heptathlete at the 1984 Summer Olympics. His uncle, Kevin Smellie, was a Canadian Football League running back and his cousin, Gavin Smellie, ran the 4x100-meter relay for Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Clarke also has baseball ties as a cousin of the Naylor brothers. Bo and Josh are currently playing for the Guardians in the American League Division Series, while Myles was a supplemental first-round pick by Oakland in 2023.
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The 24-year-old credits his mother for having the most influence on his career.
"She's seen me from Day 1, seeing my progression," Clarke said. "She knows what good athletes do. She's lived it, and I love getting advice from her every time I step out on a baseball field, every time I go to compete."
Who's faster, him or his mother in her prime?
"She's probably got me," Clarke conceded. "But I don’t know, if I trained in track, I'd probably cook her."
Despite all of his physical gifts, Clarke's development was slowed by left shoulder injuries that limited him to 157 games over his first two full pro seasons. He stayed healthy enough to play in 116 contests this year with Double-A Midland, hitting .269/.339/.445 with 13 homers and 36 steals. He ranked first in the Texas League in triples (eight), fourth in steals and fifth in runs (74) and total bases (192).
To reach his potential, Clarke will need to make more contact at the plate. He has a career 31 percent strikeout rate in the Minors, and he'll use his time in the Fall League to refine his approach and chase fewer pitches out of the zone.
"There's something in each part of my game that I can get better at," Clarke said. "I'm never satisfied [with] where I'm at. I try to keep getting better each and every day, whether it's defense, offense, baserunning. I think the biggest thing is just going to be consistency for me. I have a tendency to go up and down. I need to just kind of stay even-keeled the whole time."