Matt Clark Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Matthew Terry Clark
Born 12/10/1986 in West Covina, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Louisiana State
Debut 09/02/2014
Drafted in the 12th round (375th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2008 (signed for $150,000).

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First baseman Matt Clark entered super-regional play ranked second in NCAA Division I with 25 homers, but scouts aren't completely sold on him. The son of former big league pitcher Terry Clark (now a pitching coach in the Rangers system), Matt began his college career at UC Santa Barbara before transferring to Riverside CC. He led California juco hitters with 15 homers last spring and was the playoff MVP after carrying Riverside to the championship. He might have gone in the first five rounds of the 2007 draft had he not been committed to Louisiana State, but he fell to the Pirates in the 28th round. Despite his 25 homers, scouts question his ability to hit good fastballs and say he feasts on mistakes. They also wonder where he'll play on the diamond. He's a slow 6-foot-5, 235-pounder who didn't look good at third base with Riverside and is no more than adequate at first base. A team that buys into his lefthanded power could take Clark in the first 7-10 rounds.

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Clark led NCAA Division I with 28 home runs at Louisiana State in 2008, one year after leading the California junior college ranks with 15 bombs while at Riverside CC. He's the son of Rangers Triple-A pitching coach and former big leaguer Terry Clark. The Padres committed a $150,000 bonus to Clark, a 12th-round pick, and he led the organization with 24 homers and 101 RBIs in his full-season debut in 2009. He hit so well with Fort Wayne that he advanced to high Class A, leapfrogging 2008 first-round pick Allan Dykstra on the organizational depth chart. A physical 6-foot-5, Clark generates natural loft and leverage with his lefthanded stroke, showing consistent plus-plus raw power to all fields. He has enough juice to hit the ball out of any park. He swings and misses too much to hit for anything but a modest average, but he hits the ball where it's pitched and excelled in RBI situations in 2009. He'll take his walks when pitchers work him carefully. Clark played third base as an amateur, but he's not mobile enough to play there in the pro ranks. He's a below-average runner and adequate first baseman. His bat will have to carry him. Clark's power production ought to get him to Triple-A at least, and he could get there at some point this season.