That was essentially the answer Tigers’ president Scott Harris gave to Brian Kenny on MLB Network on Tuesday afternoon asked when prospect Max Clark might get his call to the big leagues.
“We’re not ready to bring him up right now,” Harris said. “He’s a really important part of our future. We took him first in my first draft, and then we took Kevin (McGonigle) right behind him, and those remain two really important pieces for us moving forward.
“I think with Max, it’s fun to see him off to a really good start in Triple A.”
Clark, despite hitting a 3-for-36 skid, is still hitting .305 with the Mud Hens.
Harris gave a detailed explanation of where Clark is developmentally and where the Tigers’ see him going.
“Max’s ceiling is one that can put pressure on the opposing team in all phases of the game,” Harris said. “He’s certainly performing well offensively — that’s a really big part. I think he’s going to hit for more power as he gets more comfortable with his swing and his strike‑zone decision‑making
“We also want to see him continue to develop the other areas of his game.”
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Namely, playing center field. Harris believes he can be an elite defender but he’s not there yet.
“We’re really focused on his jumps, his reads, and getting off the ball quickly in center field,” Harris told Kenny.
“We think he can put a lot of pressure on the opposing team on the bases,” Harris said. “He’s stolen a lot of bases so far in Triple‑A (8 for 8). We think there’s more he can get there, and we’re trying to stay focused on his leads, his fundamentals, and his ability to read different types of pitchers and get a good jump.
"That can help us continue to apply pressure, because I think that’s a dimension of the game we haven’t really leaned on yet. But once Max and some of these other players get up here, that’s going to be another way we can help the Tigers win games.”
Kenny pressed him on whether he expected Clark to help at the big-league level this season.
“I think there’s a really good chance that he ends up helping us, but it’s premature to actually forecast when that’s going to happen,” Harris said. “We just want to keep him focused where his feet are, and that’s in Toledo right now. He’s done a great job so far. We’ve got to keep getting better before we can have that conversation.”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers 'not ready' to bring up Max Clark, Scott Harris says