Talk about starting your professional career in style.
Max Clark, the third overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, launched a walk-off home run Tuesday afternoon in just his 12th professional plate appearance for the first dinger of his career in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. The three-run shot capped a 5-2 victory for the FCL Tigers in a game that resumed from August 1.
Clark, who received a signing bonus slightly below the slot value of the No. 3 overall selection, has had an impressive start to his professional career, slashing .333/.385/.917 with five RBIs and two doubles in three games in the FCL.
Going into the Draft, Clark was listed at No. 5 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft Prospect List and was seen as an elite talent. He’s a speedster both on the bases and in the outfield, which elevates his potential to stick in center field. Yet speed is far from all the youngster brings to the table — he also boasts a natural hitting ability, with his left-handed swing built for hard contact and line drives.
Clark, who was clocked as high as 97 mph on the hill in high school, has a 65-grade for his throwing arm, a 70 for his speed and 60 for hitting ability — all above-average tools that project him as a standout as he moves through the Tigers’ system.
Indiana high schooler Bryan Bullington went No. 1 overall in the 2002 Draft, but many evaluators believe that the 18-year-old Clark is the premier talent to emerge out of the Hoosier State’s prep ranks.
Clark was a three-time winner of Gatorade’s Indiana Player of the Year Award, winning Gatorade National Player of the Year honors this past spring after batting an eye-popping .646 with an otherworldly .808 on-base percentage.