Max

Clark

Clark and fellow Tigers top prospects Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceño, who were all promoted earlier this month to Double-A Erie, anchor a junior circuit lineup that is jam-packed with intriguing talents. McGonigle might be the top pure hitter in the minor leagues and has cemented his status as a legitimate top-five prospect for dynasty purposes thanks to his blend of elite plate skills and consistent hard contact. The rest of the lineup features fellow elite shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott in addition to fascinating slugger Jhostunxon Garcia, also known as The Password. Here’s the full lineup: Clark (CF), Braden Montgomery (LF), C.J. Kayfus (1B), Garcia (RF), Harry Ford (C), Briceño (DH), Walcott (3B), McGonigle (SS), Lombard Jr. (2B) and Parker Messick (P).

Clark, the third overall selection from the 2023 draft class, was hitting .285/.430/.427 with seven homers, 47 RBI and 12 stolen bases in his first 68 games at West Michigan. McGonigle was even better there — slashing a blistering .358/.450/.617 with seven homers, 39 RBI and three stolen bases in just 42 contests. Briceño was no slouch himself, slashing .296/.422/.602 with 15 long balls and 57 RBI. The Tigers own the best record in the American League at the moment and their future continues to look exceedingly bright.

Clark’s impressive three-hit performance included his second round-tripper of the season. The 20-year-old prodigy is hitting .440 since the start of May and boasts a robust .876 OPS through 26 games for High-A West Michigan. He projects as an impact fantasy contributor in runs scored, batting average and stolen bases once he reaches the majors and should continue to grow into some additional over-the-fence pop. He’s a top-10 dynasty prospect heading towards the midway point of the 2025 campaign.

Clark smashed a game-tying three-run homer for his first round-tripper of the season and also added an RBI single as part of an extra-inning marathon. The 20-year-old outfielder was selected third overall in the 2023 MLB Draft and should reach the upper minors by the end of the year. He checked in as the 14th-ranked prospect in Rotoworld’s latest dynasty rankings update and figures to crack the top-10 range by midseason. We’re not anticipating a ton of over-the-fence pop, but he’s going to hit for average and steal plenty of bases once he reaches the majors.

It was only a matter of time before the 19-year-old phenom received a promotion. In 73 games at Single-A Lakeland, Clark slashed .286/.386/.421 with seven homers, 58 RBI, 55 runs scored and 26 stolen bases (in 28 attempts). He’s still a couple of years away from making an impact at the big-league level, but his five-category potential is very intriguing from a fantasy perspective. Teammate and fellow top prospect Kevin McGonigle will be making the jump to West Michigan with Clark.

It’s a star-studded lineup with several of the top fantasy prospects in the game featured alongside Basallo. The 19-year-old burgeoning slugger has morphed into one of the premier dynasty hitters in the fantasy landscape last year, and has backed it up this season in the upper minors, batting .274/.338/.449 with 12 homers and seven steals through 75 games for Double-A Bowie. Here’s the full lineup: Max Clark CF, Cole Young 2B, Sebastian Walcott SS, Basallo C, Spencer Jones RF, Xavier Isaac 1B, Colson Montgomery 3B, Jaison Chourio LF and Harry Ford DH.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports that Clark will receive a $7.7 million signing bonus, which is roughly $600,000 below slot for the third overall pick, to forego his commitment to Vanderbilt to start his professional career. The 18-year-old prep outfielder is an excellent all-around talent and should make an impact for Detroit, and fantasy managers, in a few years.

Viewed by most evaluators as the top prep player in this year’s draft class, Clark is a Vanderbilt commit, but likely will forgo school after being selected in the top-three overall. The 18-year-old left-handed outfielder projects as a true center fielder with more polish offensively than most top prospects out of high school. He’s probably not going to offer the top-notch power numbers he might need to become a superstar, but that’s the closest thing to a knock on his game. He’s a terrific all-around talent and should make an impact for the Tigers in the next few years.