Denzel Clarke made remarkable MLB history on Monday.
The Athletics rookie center fielder earned his third consecutive Electric Play of the Week nod, becoming the first MLB player ever to take home the honor — which was started in 2019 — three times in a row.
Here are all three show-stopping plays that Clarke made over the past three weeks.
“He continues to blow our mind,” Athletics pitcher Grant Holman said about Clark following their team’s June 9 game against the Los Angeles Angels. “He’s unbelievable out there, and it’s a really good feeling as a pitcher to know you’ve got a guy in centerfield who’s going to track everything down and even if you give up a homer, he’s going to bring it back.”
Selected No. 127 overall by the Athletics in the 2021 MLB Draft, Clarke has had quite the entertaining 21 games to start his big-league career.
According to Statcast, he already is eighth in outs above average with eight, and according to FanGraphs, 22nd in defensive runs saved over 160-plus innings with seven. Oh, yeah, his sprint speed ranks in the 96th percentile.
It’s worth noting that Clarke is slashing .209/.232/.284 with 14 hits, three RBI and one home run thus far. While not the greatest start to a big-league career, Clark’s electric defensive capabilities have kept him in A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s lineup.
“That’s about as far over a fence as you can get without going over and making a play,” Kotsay told reporters about Clarke’s June 9 catch in Anaheim. “We talk a little bit about, you know, his range and the package is instinct; it’s reaction and it’s speed, and he’s got them all.“