Franklin’s Max Clark impresses MLB greats during Spring Breakout
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Former Franklin High School baseball star Max Clark continues to make a name for himself.
The 19-year-old who was drafted 3rd overall by the Detroit Tigers last year took part in the Tigers’ inaugural Spring Breakout game.
Clark, wearing custom Detroit-themed cleats for the event, lived up to the top prospect hype by showing off his speed on the bases.
“As soon as I drew the walk and got to first base, I was thinking,” Clark told mlb.com. “The guy was super slow to home — like a 1.55 (seconds) to home. I could walk to second base with that kind of time. I was trying to work on vaulting (to take off for second), which is what they’re having us work on in the organization. I was able to bring it to the game today and I’m loving it.”
Clark also had a chance to meet recently retired Tigers’ great Miguel Cabrera before the game.
“It’s actually really funny – we weren’t talking about baseball at all,” Clark said. “We laughed about Comerica (Park) a little bit. He’s like, ‘I’m glad I finally get to see you take BP today.’ And then, we were talking about how he’s going on volleyball trips and baseball trips, and how his son hit six home runs in Texas in his last tournament. We were laughing about that. He just said he was excited to see me get after it.”
Clark was 0-2 in the game but said he loved participating in the event.
“This is probably one of the best events MLB has ever put on,” Clark said. “In all honesty, I think this is fantastic for the game because it’s not only growing our organization, our fan base, but it’s growing the entire game.”