Clarke Selected by A’s in MLB Draft 4th Round
7/12/2021 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball's junior outfielder Denzel Clarke was selected in the fourth round (127th overall) by the Oakland Athletics on day two of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Monday. An All-Big West Second Team selection this past season, Clarke is the highest drafted Matador since pitcher Craig Baker was taken in the fourth round by the Colorado Rockies in the 2006 draft.
One of seven Big West players to be chosen at the draft through the first 10 rounds, Clarke is the conference's first and only hitter to be drafted.
Originally from Pickering, Ontario, Clarke impressed with his bat and glove this past season for the Matadors. Clarke started 38 games in center field where he finished batting .324 with a career-high 46 hits, 30 runs, 26 walks, 25 RBI, 11 doubles and eight home runs. He ranked fourth in the Big West Conference in stolen bases (15), seventh in slugging percentage (.570), eighth in home runs and on-base percentage (.445) and ninth in walks.
Clarke shared the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award this season, becoming the first Matador in team history to win the honor. He posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 2021 and collected two outfield assists.
Clarke's outstanding junior season came off the heels of a sophomore season where he batted .400 with three home runs and nine RBI in the shortened 2020 campaign. Over the past two years, Clarke batted .340 at the plate with 11 homers.
A career .298 hitter in three seasons at CSUN, Clarke played in 108 total games and made 99 starts. He racked up 97 hits, 67 runs, 53 RBI, 52 walks, 32 stolen bases and 16 home runs.
His fourth-round selection marked the second time Clarke had been drafted in his baseball career. Prior to joining CSUN, Clarke was drafted out of high school in the 36th round by the New York Mets in 2018.
Clarke is the seventh Matador in team history to be drafted by the Oakland Athletics. Other previous CSUN players chosen by the A's include Scot Mitchell (1981), Dan Penner (1987), J.T. Stotts (2001), Mike Frick (2001), Bill Murphy (2002) and Ryan Pineda (2010).
#UniteTheValley
One of seven Big West players to be chosen at the draft through the first 10 rounds, Clarke is the conference's first and only hitter to be drafted.
Originally from Pickering, Ontario, Clarke impressed with his bat and glove this past season for the Matadors. Clarke started 38 games in center field where he finished batting .324 with a career-high 46 hits, 30 runs, 26 walks, 25 RBI, 11 doubles and eight home runs. He ranked fourth in the Big West Conference in stolen bases (15), seventh in slugging percentage (.570), eighth in home runs and on-base percentage (.445) and ninth in walks.
Clarke shared the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award this season, becoming the first Matador in team history to win the honor. He posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 2021 and collected two outfield assists.
Clarke's outstanding junior season came off the heels of a sophomore season where he batted .400 with three home runs and nine RBI in the shortened 2020 campaign. Over the past two years, Clarke batted .340 at the plate with 11 homers.
A career .298 hitter in three seasons at CSUN, Clarke played in 108 total games and made 99 starts. He racked up 97 hits, 67 runs, 53 RBI, 52 walks, 32 stolen bases and 16 home runs.
His fourth-round selection marked the second time Clarke had been drafted in his baseball career. Prior to joining CSUN, Clarke was drafted out of high school in the 36th round by the New York Mets in 2018.
Clarke is the seventh Matador in team history to be drafted by the Oakland Athletics. Other previous CSUN players chosen by the A's include Scot Mitchell (1981), Dan Penner (1987), J.T. Stotts (2001), Mike Frick (2001), Bill Murphy (2002) and Ryan Pineda (2010).
#UniteTheValley
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