Could the Detroit Tigers have a budding “superstar” on their hands?
Max Clark, selected No. 3 overall by the Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft, topped MLB Pipeline’s top-10 prospect rankings for outfielders Thursday, with writer Jonathan Mayo tapping the 21-year-old as the outfielder with the highest ceiling.
” … It’s hard to ignore Clark and his four at-least-plus tools here,” Mayo writes. “If he somehow gets to more than average power, he’s a superstar.”
Clark, a center fielder, hit a combined .271 with a .403 on-base percentage and .835 OPS across Single-A West Michigan and Erie in 2025, with 14 home runs and 19 stolen bases. He registered more walks (94) than strikeouts (90), and was one of three Tigers to earn a spot in the midseason Futures Game.
Clark, who is Baseball America’s No. 6 overall prospect in preseason rankings released Wednesday, earned Pipeline’s highest grades in the run (70 grade on a 20-80 scale), field (60) and hit (60, tied with four others) tools among the top 10 outfield prospects.
“Clark’s double-plus speed works on both sides of the ball,” Mayo writes. “He’s stolen bases at a success rate of 88.3% (53 out of 60). What’s scary is he is selective and hasn’t topped 30 steals in a season yet. He could be among the best in the game if and when he completely turns it loose.”
It’s possible those skills could be on display sooner than later at Comerica Park, with Tigers president Scott Harris saying in October that some of the Tigers’ top prospects, including Clark and shortstop Kevin McGonigle, will get big-league camp invitations for spring training.
