

He is looking to make contact, and he doesn’t sell out for power.īut Clark has the bat speed, contact ability and an extremely strong lower half to develop into a 20-25 home run hitter as he matures. The 17-year-old’s power is largely limited to his pull side at present.Ĭlark uses the entire field and has not yet shown a propensity to attempt to yank inside fastballs in advantage counts. This is the one tool that requires the most projection for Clark. It’s always tricky to project a prep hitter to be a plus hitter in MLB, but Clark is one of the safer bets. 529/.608/.682 with 17 walks and four strikeouts in 102 plate appearances.Ĭlark’s swing-and-miss rate over the past two years in those events was 6%, a truly remarkable number. If you look at the events he has played in 20-a total of 31 games-he hit. 496/.592/.647 with eight doubles, five triples, 25 walks and 11 strikeouts. Synergy Sports has logged 46 games and 147 plate appearances for Clark, many of which came against older players in the 2022 draft class. He has played in a lot of showcases over the past three seasons.

So let’s look at what Clark has done in national showcase events. It was further evidence of how his smooth, compact lefthanded swing gives him well above-average contact rates with impact.īut it’s also fair to say that the level of competition Clark faced in Indiana is not indicative of what he will face in pro ball. He drew 31 walks while striking out just three times. 577/.717/1.126 with nine home runs in 25 games as a junior this spring for Franklin Community High. Clark has no fringe-average tools masquerading as plus. 1 high school prospect for the 2023 draft, has a chance to be a true five-tool player. So when scouts say that Indiana high school outfielder Max Clark has the potential to be a five-tool player, we know that the term carries a lot baggage and prompts raised-eyebrow skepticism.īut trust us on this one: Clark, the No. Juan Soto is a great player, but he’s not a five-tool player. will have to make significant improvements as a hitter to be a five-tool player. Braves rookie center fielder Michael Harris II could end up as a five-tool player.īut the number of true five-tool players in the major leagues is an exceedingly small number. Mariners rookie center fielder Julio Rodriguez is potentially a five-tool player.

Mike Trout in his prime was a five-tool player. Or an average defender will be described as having all five tools. Or someone will be described as a five-tool player even though his arm is below-average. He has well above-average hitting ability, power, speed, throwing arm and defensive ability.Īll too often, a player is described as a five-tool player even if his hitting ability is in question. In its purest definition, a five-tool player is a position player who has five plus tools. The term is overused and has lost some of its meaning, making the utterly uncommon seem common.
