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Jun 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke (1) hits a two run home run in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Can Denzel Clarke Hit Enough to Remain A's Centerfielder?

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Denzel Clarke made quite a first impression in his first stint in the big leagues, making his mark as arguably the best defensive centerfielder in the game after just 47 games in green and gold. The two biggest questions surrounding him this winter are: can he stay healthy, and can he hit enough to stay in the lineup?

The health question is unknowable. With someone that plays as hard and as fast as he does, injuries are going to happen on occasion. The 25-year-old missed most of the second half with a right adductor strain, but he's been deemed healthy heading into the offseason.

As for his bat, the numbers weren't exactly pretty. He ended up hitting .230 with a .274 OBP, three home runs, 18 runs scored. The biggest worry has to be that he struck out at a 38.4% of the time, while walking just 3.8%. That's a Joey Gallo level of strikeouts without the power.

That said, he did end up with a 75 wRC+ (100 is league average), which still isn't great, but with his tremendous defensive ability, he was able to put up 1.3 fWAR in those 47 games.

Across three times as many games at that same rate, he'd have more WAR than Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio (2.9 WAR, 111 wRC+) and would be on pace to be as valuable as Shea Langeliers (3.9 WAR), just in a different way. Langeliers ranked tied for 33rd in fWAR among all qualified hitters this past season, the same as Jarren Duran and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

That's the level of production that Clarke was putting up defensively while he wasn't really hitting, so if that bat perks up to even league average, he'll be among the league's best routinely.

Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The bright side here is that as the season went along, Clarke began to come around at the dish little by little. In his first 25 at-bats in May, he was striking out at a 61.5% rate and walking 3.8% of the time. In 76 June at-bats, that went down to 34.6 and 2.5%. In his final month in July, he upped his walk rate to 5.8% and was striking out at a 32.7% clip.

He also ended up hitting .298 with a .340 OBP in July, so he was just starting to turn a corner before the injury knocked him out for the rest of the season. Now, he'll have had some exposure to the big leagues heading into next year, similar to Jacob Wilson from 2024 to 2025. Wilson hit .250 last season before batting .311 in 2025, though his offensive profile is different than Clarke's.

Looking at his zone charts, the A's outfielder will need to work on making better swing decisions in 2026 in order to be more effective. He was swinging at the four quadrants outside of the strike zone with regularity, and outside of pitches down and in, he wasn't hitting them terrible hard. He also whiffed 76% of the time in that same zone.

The biggest area of growth for him overall will be on pitches on the inner third of the plate. He liked the ball out over home, where he could smack it the other way, but wasn't as effective inside, unless it was middle-in.

If he's able to hone in on the strike zone and get on base at a higher clip, then Clarke will be able to showcase his speed a bit more on the bases, which will add another dimension to his game. He swiped six bags this past season.

It's also worth noting that Clarke hadn't been in Triple-A Las Vegas for very long before getting called up to the big leagues. He spent both the 2023 and 2024 campaigns in Double-A Midland after he missed time in '23 due to injury. He'd played in just 32 games with Vegas, batting .280 with a .430 on-base, before making his way to West Sacramento.

He's hovered around a 29-30% strikeout rate in the past, but was down to 22.2% in that stint with Las Vegas last year. If he can find himself in the 20s this coming year, he's going to be one of the best all-around players in the game.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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