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| Tony the Tiger? He's Gr-r-r-r-reat! |
Tony Clark was a prototypical Topps All-Star Rookie Candidate. The Switch hitting slugger was a mid season call-up and made major contributions to his team's offense. Clark also had a great story of making it to the show after possibly having his career derailed before it began. Over just 100 games for the Tigers, Tony crushed 27 home runs, to lead the team.
Tony the Tiger had a mixture of those impressive stats and impressive moments. He had a 2 HR game in September of 1996 - the first blast cleared the roof in Right Field at Tiger Stadium, which was often the benchmark used to measure whether new Tigers sluggers were legit or not. Clark slugged .503 in his rookie season, finishing 3rd in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Drafted by the Tigers in the 1st Round in 1990, Clark was a 2-sport star in high school in San Diego. Clark broke a single-season scoring record set by Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton. His senior season he averaged nearly 44 points per game. His pro contract with the Tigers allowed him to play College Basketball and baseball in the summers. At San Diego State University, Clark suffered a back injury falling on a teammate's foot during practice that ended his 1991 baseball season before it began. He would return the following season, but played in just 26 games. He did play well when he was on the field, slashing .306/.372/.588 for low-A Niagra Falls. After another season with just 36 games played, fans may have begun to wonder if Clark was going to be a bust. He decided to leave San Diego State to focus solely on Baseball. 1994 would be a make or break year for Tony, so he chose making it by way of breaking it - he crushed 23 homers and drove in 99 runs over AA and AAA. He spent most of 1995 in AAA Toledo, where he would again slug the ball hard, and he earned a late season call-up to join the Tigers.
Clark's best MLB seasons came during his time in Detroit. He averaged 31 homers and 98 RBI each year from 1996 through 1999. Injuries would bite him again in 2000, playing in just 60 games, but once again he would bounce back to make his lone All-Star appearance in 2001. He hit 156 homers and had over 500 RBI in his time with the Tigers, and became just the 13th Switch Hitter to rack up 30+ homers in a season in MLB history. His OPS+ during his Tiger tenure was a strong 121.
Clark's career following his time in the motor city was a series of bright starts followed by injury woes and then more comebacks. He hit home runs in his first game played with Boston, the Mets, and the Yankees. At each of those stops along the way, Clark would struggle repeat his Tiger success. Clark was no longer being utilized as an everyday player. It may have just taken time for him to adjust to the new role. After joining the Diamondbacks in 2005, Clark would surprise everyone by hitting 30 homers, and doing it in just 349 at bats. He had career highs in batting average, slugging, and OPS at age 35. Young players looked to Clark for advice and he was nominated to be the team's player representative for the MLBPA.
Clark's experience as a player rep got his foot in the door with the MLBPA following his playing career. In 2013, after spending time as the deputy executive director. Clark was promoted to head the union, and has been the Executive Director ever since. Clark is still highly respected by players, rookies and veterans alike think of him as the go to guy for any questions they have about the baseball life, both on the field and as union members.
Clark retired from playing in 2009, with 251 career homers, the 13th highest total among all Switch Hitters. He hit homers from both sides of the plate in the same game 10 times, which ranks favorably compared to the great power hitting switch hitters like Mantle, Murray, Teixeira, and ... uh, Nick Swisher? He also has a unique claim to fame - hitting home runs in Japan in 2004, in Puerto Rico in 2003, and all Continental U.S. time zones in between, he has the All-Time record for most time zones homered in during MLB games.
What are some of your Tony Clark memories?
I remember him being a solid player on some bad to horrendous Tiger teams.
ReplyDeleteI'll say it: he was grrrrreat!
ReplyDeleteI remember Tony always being nice with the fans. I’ve got his autograph a few times during Spring Training. One time when I got him, I asked him about his basketball career, and I asked him if he ever tried a hook shot. He said no but maybe he should have.
ReplyDeleteAnother time, he had hit one HR in a game and my friend that was with me predicted that he would hit another and he did. After the game he came out and signed autographs and we told him about my friend predicting his 2nd one, and he said maybe my friend should come to all of his games, and then he of course signed for us.