If 25-year-olds still used paper calendars, Denzel Clarke would have circled this weekend on his.
When he saw that his Athletics were going to be in 海角社区官网to play the Blue Jays from May 29 to June 1, he took note.
鈥淚鈥檇 be lying if I said I didn鈥檛,鈥 the Pickering native said before his sixth game in the major leagues on Thursday. “Obviously I can鈥檛 control if they call me up or (not), but my goal was to put myself in the best position to be called up.鈥
The six-foot-four, 220-pound outfielder did just that,聽putting up a .436 on-base percentage at Triple-A Las Vegas this spring while scoring 25 runs in 31 games, earning the call on May 23 and becoming the first Denzel ever to play in the majors.
In between, he won Baseball Canada鈥檚 Stubby Clapp award, named after the iconic international player who symbolized grit, perseverance and determination.
Pickering native Denzel Clarke’s ticket list for the four-game series between the Blue Jays and Athletics, he estimated, is about 150 to 200.
Richard Lautens 海角社区官网StarClarke has come a long way since he first joined the 海角社区官网Mets as a teenager.
鈥淗e was a skinny, undersized kid,鈥 said Rick Leitch, vice-president and director of baseball for the Mets, one of the local entries in the Canadian Premier Baseball League. 鈥淧robably five-foot-seven, 130 pounds, big, thick Coke bottle glasses. Didn鈥檛 scream big-leaguer, to be honest with you.鈥
But Clarke made it by being one of the hardest-working kids Leitch has ever had.
The bloodlines didn鈥檛 hurt, either.
Clarke鈥檚 first cousins are Mississauga鈥檚 Naylor brothers: Josh is the first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bo is catching for the Cleveland Guardians and youngest brother Myles, a first-round pick of the A鈥檚 in 2023, is working his way up the ladder in A-ball.
Oh, and Clarke鈥檚 mother Donna was an Olympic heptathlete for Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Her brother Kevin Smellie, a four-year running back for the 海角社区官网Argonauts, won a Grey Cup in 1991.
Still, Leitch believes it鈥檚 the work ethic of players such as Clarke that聽stands out more than anything.聽
鈥淭hey鈥檙e the guys who just work hard, show up every day and do the things they鈥檙e supposed to do,鈥 Leitch said as he watched Clarke take batting practice before Thursday鈥檚 12-0 Blue Jays win over Clarke鈥檚 (West Sacramento) Athletics at the Rogers Centre. 鈥淗e continued to develop physically and now he鈥檚 built like a Greek god. It all worked out great for him.鈥
Greek god or otherwise, it鈥檚 been a rough start in the bigs. Clarke wasn鈥檛 in the lineup for Thursday鈥檚 series opener, prompting A鈥檚 manager Mark Kotsay to suggest that he might get booed for leaving the young outfielder on the bench. But he came in defensively for the final three innings and made a couple of nice catches on the warning track 鈥 followed by an even better one Friday night, robbing Alejandro Kirk of a home run.
What a catch by Denzel Clarke 馃く馃嚚馃嚘
鈥 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet)
Clarke said the ballpark felt like home.
鈥淚 got to play a lot in the Rogers Centre growing up,鈥 said the Everest Academy (Thornhill) graduate. 鈥淚鈥檓 exposed to playing in big stadiums, big events (he played for聽 Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic), so I feel like I鈥檝e been here before, I feel like I鈥檝e played it before. I鈥檓 really excited just to be back in front of family and friends.鈥
Clarke鈥檚 ticket list for the four-game series, he estimated, is about 150 to 200.
鈥淲hen we were driving (to the ballpark on the A鈥檚 team bus) I saw some gates me and my homies would get to go through,鈥 said Clarke. 鈥淚 remember when I was younger, I had some family friends who worked with the Jays who would get me tickets. I thought I was the coolest person in the world, like: I know people who work here. Now I鈥檓 someone who plays here and is able to get tickets for other people. It鈥檚 a blessing, truly a blessing.鈥
As Clarke sat in the visiting dugout, he enthusiastically pointed to the 200 level in left field.
鈥淲e were sitting with some family friends who were actually about to leave,鈥澛 Clarke said of his earliest memory at the stadium. 鈥淒on鈥檛 remember the game, don鈥檛 remember anything. All I remember is Aaron Hill hit a walk-off home run. We were sitting right there, it almost came and hit us.鈥
That was Sept. 15, 2006, when Hill hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to lift the Jays to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Clarke was six years old.
After a hot start in Triple-A, Denzel Clarke has struggled at the plate in his first stint in the majors.
Richard Lautens 海角社区官网StarClarke rattled off the names of his favourite Jays growing up.
鈥Jos茅 Bautista, Alex R铆os, Vernon Wells, when I was a lot younger,鈥 he recalled. 鈥淛ohn McDonald 鈥 awesome glove at short. Who else did we have? J.P. Arencibia behind the dish. Russell Martin, of course, Canadian. I could go on and on, but it鈥檚 home for me. I grew up watching them all the time. 鈥 I still am (a Jays fan), but a bigger A鈥檚 fan now.鈥
The beginning of his major-league career has been a struggle for the fifth-ranked A’s prospect, according to MLB pipeline. Clarke struck out in his only two at-bats Thursday, leaving him 1-for-19 with 15 strikeouts going into Friday night鈥檚 game.
鈥淣ot the greatest start so far,鈥 he said. 鈥淗itting is hard, but I trust myself. I see the baseball, but now I have to put my body in a position to hit it.鈥
He’s done it before, leaving evaluators drooling at his rare combination of speed and power that showed when he hit an inside-the-park home run in back-to-back games聽 with the class-A Lansing Lugnuts in 2022.
For now, Clarke is getting a chance to unlock that magic for an A’s team that went into Friday having lost 18 of its last 21 games. This weekend, he’s doing it at home.
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