52. Will Clark

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52. Will Clark
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: March 13, 1964 in New Orleans, LA USA
  • Weight: 190 lbs.
  • Height: 6'2"
  • Bats: L
  • Throws: L
  • Debut: April 08, 1986
  • Final Game: October 01, 2000
  • TSN All-Star - 1988
  • NLCS MVP - 1989
  • Silver Slugger - 1989
  • TSN All-Star - 1989
  • Gold Glove - 1991
  • Silver Slugger - 1991
  • TSN All-Star - 1991
 
ABRHHRRBISBAVG
717311862176284120567 0.303
 

Will Clark is a justifiable member of the Mississippi Sports and College Baseball Hall of Fame but it looks like the big one in Cooperstown will elude him as he failed to get past his first year of eligibility.  A look at his career makes you wonder why he couldn’t get past that elusive first ballot.

Nicknamed “The Thrill”, Will Clark became an instant favorite as he homered on his first at bat against the legendary Nolan Ryan.  Clark would become a major star in the Bay Area, exciting fans with his unequaled competitiveness and solid offensive play.  He was ranked among his peers as the top clutch performers in the game which he proved by winning the NLCS MVP in 1989.  The six-Time All-Star finished his career with a Batting Average over .300 and solid power numbers.  What hurt Will Clark was the inflated power numbers that came after him (especially from other first basemen) made what he accomplished look less special.  It is very possible that “The Thrill” could pop up in a Veteran’s Committee discussion in the future.

Should Will Clark be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 64.3%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 21.4%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 6.3%
No opinion. - 0%
No way! - 8%

The Bullet Points

  • Country of Origin: New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
  • Eligible In: Sunday, 01 January 2006
  • Position: First Base
  • Played For: Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers
  • Major Accolades and Awards: NLCS MVP (1989)
    All-Star (6) (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 & 1994)
    Gold Glove (1991) (NL) (1991)
    Silver Slugger (2) (NL) (1989 & 1991)
    Highest Slugging Percentage (1) (NL) (1991)
    Most Runs Scored (1) (NL) (1989)
    Most Total Bases (1) (NL) (1991)
    Most Runs Batted In (1) (NL) (1988)
    Most Walks (1) (NL) (1988)
    Most Intentional Walks (1) (NL) (1988)
    Highest Win Probablity Added (1) (NL) (1989) 
    Highest bWAR for Position Players (1) (NL) (1989)
  • Other Points of Note: Top Ten MVP finishes:
    (NL: 1987, 5th), (NL: 1988, 5th), (NL: 1989, 2nd) & (NL: 1991, 4th)
    4 Top Ten Finishes (Batting Average)
    4 Top Ten Finishes (On Base Percentage)
    5 Top Ten Finishes (Slugging Percentage)
    5 Top Ten Finishes (OPS)
    5 Top Ten Finishes (OPS+)
    2 Top Ten Finishes (Runs Scored)
    3 Top Ten Finishes (Hits)
    3 Top Ten Finishes (Total Bases)
    3 Top Ten Finishes (Doubles
    2 Top Ten Finishes (Triples)
    4 Top Ten Finishes (Home Runs)
    4 Top Ten Finishes (Runs Batted In)
    2 Top Ten Finishes (Walks)
    1 Top Ten Finish (Power-Speed #)
    6 Top Ten Finishes (Win Probabilty Added)
    3 Top Ten Finishes (WAR for Position Players)
  • Notable All Time Rankings: 32. Sacrifice Flies: 101
    46. Intentional Walks: 155
    55. Win Probabilty Added: 46.0
    96. OPS: .880
    97. OPS+: 137
  • Vote Percentage Received for the Hall of Fame: 2006:  4.4
  • Should be Inducted As A: San Francisco Giant

Should Will Clark be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 64.3%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 21.4%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 6.3%
No opinion. - 0%
No way! - 8%
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Comments   

0 #3 EW 2019-10-11 17:15
Clark looked like a future HOFer. [censored]s: //www.si.com /vault/1990/ 05/28/122052 /will-clark- giants-1990

Those wrist and arm injuries really hurt his production after 91. Then 93 began the era of high offenses with steroids/HGH , small strike zones and everything. Clark remained a good hitter, but his power was really hurt by those wrist injuries.
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-2 #2 Dennis Nix 2015-09-16 19:08
Will "the Thrill" was a household name while I was growing up and I completely think he deserves entry to the HOF. The article is spot on when it says others came along and made his numbers not seem as good as they are. Baseball will forever be shrouded in mystery as to who used steroids and who didn't and that is an absolutely horrible thing. I dont know who was really good and who wasn't anymore. I know McGwire hit 49 homers in his first or second year in the bigs and was tiny. But, after that you have no real idea of when all this started. It has ruined and tainted decades of my favorite sport forever. :sad:
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0 #1 Kurt 2015-06-09 04:43
Will Clark was a great player who retired too early. He played on the same college team as Rafael Palmeiro and had much better college stats than Palmeiro. One can only wonder what kind of MLB stats Clark would have put up if he had juiced like Palmeiro. If Clark had played until he was 40, maybe he would have retired with 2600 hits, 325-350 home runs, and close to a .300 batting average, which would have certainly helped his candidacy
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