Denzel Clarke

A cousin of Indians outfielder Josh Naylor, Clarke starred for Canada’s junior national teams growing up and was drafted by the Mets in the 36th round out of high school. He made his way to Cal State Northridge and began to blossom as a sophomore in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season. He got off to a slow start this spring but exploded in the second half to become one of the fastest risers in the draft class. Clarke is a physical specimen at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and has some of the best power potential in this year’s draft class. He has huge raw power that is easily plus, and he still has room to get stronger and add even more. Clarke was previously a raw hitter who swung at everything and struggled to keep his swing in sync, but he’s improved rapidly the last two years. He now stays on breaking balls, has begun walking more and is doing a better job of keeping his swing consistent. His improvements to his approach, combined with his natural strength and leverage, give him a chance to be a fringe-average hitter. Clarke has a chance to stick in center field despite his size. He is a plus runner with good instincts and impressive athleticism. His below-average arm will limit him to left field if he has to move. Clarke’s swing still gets out of sync and he has to show he can maintain his improved approach against better competition. His power and athleticism have teams interested late on the draft’s first day or early on the draft’s second day.