Outfielder Max Clark is still waiting to make his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers. In the meantime, prospect evaluators still see him as a top talent, even if his standing has fallen a little bit since the beginning of the season.
Baseball Prospectus released its midseason update of top 50 prospects on Friday, July 17, listing two Tigers prospects among the 50 – Clark (No. 14) and shortstop Bryce Rainer (No. 33). Those are the same two prospects that were ranked in BP’s preseason list, with Clark dropping eight spots from No. 6 and Rainer moving up three spots from No. 36.
Despite Clark’s drop in the rankings, BP still has high praise for the outfielder.
“Of all the prospects in the Top 25, Clark is the most major-league ready. In fact, given the outfield injuries for and underperformance of the 2026 Tigers, it’s a little surprising Clark is still eligible for this list,” BP writes.
Clark entered the offseason as the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect (behind infielder Kevin McGonigle) with a shot to make the team out of spring training. Clark had an eventful spring with multiple outfield flubs, but has rebounded with a strong season in Triple-A Toledo, slashing .264/.351/.404 with eight home runs, 35 RBIs and a team-leading 20 stolen bases in 81 games.
“While he hasn’t built on the harder pulled air contact he flashed at the end of the 2025 season in Double-A, Clark has enough pop to make major-league pitchers think twice about challenging him in the zone too often,” BP writes. “He’s a high-probability above-average regular based on his combo of hit, glove, and run tools.”
After McGonigle’s rise to the majors, Clark has become the top prospect in the Tigers’ organization, with ESPN’s midseason update also listing him as the No. 1 prospect. It’s not atypical for top prospects to fall in midseason rankings after the MLB Draft, with BP ranking shortstop Roch Cholowsky (No. 1 overall pick, Chicago White Sox) and shortstop Grady Emerson (No. 2, Tampa Bay Rays) at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively, both ahead of Clark.
Rainer, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is heating up at High-A West Michigan, hitting for an .893 OPS with nine home runs and 45 RBIs in 259 plate appearances. Rainer is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery in 2025, making 2026 his first full professional season. Still, BP is optimistic Rainer’s surgery hasn’t slowed his development.
“He still is striking out a lot, due to a funky, long swing from a low hand set, but he’s heated up with the weather, and is close to the same power-hitting shortstop prospect he was before his 2025 shutdown,” BP writes.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers OF Max Clark falls slightly in MLB prospect rankings
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