June 19, 2024

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s safe to say that athleticism runs in Denzel Clarke’s family.

His mother, Donna, was an Olympian while his uncle, Kevin Smellie, suited up in the CFL for four years, winning a Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 1991. His cousins, Josh, Bo, and Myles Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), also play professional baseball.

Suiting up for the Midland RockHounds, the Oakland A’s double-A affiliate, Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) went 9-for-22 in six games last week and led all Canuck minor leaguers in batting average (.409), slugging percentage (.727) and total bases (16). For his efforts, he has been named the Canadian Baseball Network’s minor league Player of the Week.

The RockHounds began last week with a road trip to Wichita, Kansas to take on the Wind Surge, the double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Clarke would suit up in every game in the series.

While hitless in the first game on Tuesday, the 24-year-old went off in the Wednesday night contest – collecting three hits and an RBI, while also scoring a run, in the RockHounds’ loss. Batting eighth, Clarke belted an 0-1 offering from right-hander Cory Lewis to centre field in his first at-bat for his second triple of the year.

In the top of the fourth inning with runners on first and third, Clarke once again swung on an 0-1 offering from Lewis and doubled to centre field to score one run. He almost produced a second RBI on the extra-base hit but the runner on first was thrown out at home. Clarke’s RBI tied the game 2-2.

And Clarke wasn’t done. In the top of the ninth, he hit a ground-rule double down the left field line to lead off the inning. He later scored on a home run from teammate Cooper Bowman. Defensively, Clarke also had an outfield assist, throwing out a runner at second when the Wind Surge batter tried to stretch a single into a double in the bottom of the eighth.

The series' third game saw Clarke pick up right where he left off. He singled through the left side of the infield in his first at-bat and immediately stole second base and later scored on a sac fly to tie the game 1-1.

The A’s prospect returned to the plate in the top of the fourth with runners on second and third with two outs and he made the most of the opportunity. Getting into an 0-2 count quickly, Clarke capitalized on a mistake that caught too much of the plate and hit a single that scored a run and moved the other runner to third base.

The hits didn’t stop there, with Clarke leading off the top of the seventh inning with a deep home run to left field, his fifth of the season, that tied the game 4-4. For the day, Clarke finished with three hits, two RBIs, two runs and a stolen base.

To round out the weekend, Clarke went a combined 3-for-10 (all singles), while adding another RBI, in games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In the Sunday afternoon game, Clarke was the only RockHounds batter to produce a hit – a single in the top of the fifth inning that broke up a perfect game bid by pitcher Jaylen Nowlin.

Former Winners

Opening Day to May 6 – LHP Matt Wilkinson (Lander, BC), Guardians.

May 7-12 – INF Charles LeBlanc (Laval, Que.), Angels.

May 13-19 – RHP Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC), Braves.

May 20-26 – INF Trei Cruz (Toronto, Ont.), Tigers.

May 27 – June 2 – RHP Lucas Wepf (Georgetown, Ont.), Dodgers.

June 4 – June 9 – C/DH Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.), Rangers.

June 11 – June 16 – OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.), Athletics.

Stats Compiled by Pete Berryman

Hitters

Pitchers