Phil Clark (outfielder)

Phil Clark
Phil Clark
	Outfielder / Coach
	Born: May 6, 1968 (age 56); Crockett, Texas, U.S.
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
	MLB: May 27, 1992, for the Detroit Tigers
	NPB: 1997, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Last appearance
	MLB: April 30, 1996, for the Boston Red Sox
	NPB: 2000, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
MLB statistics
Batting average	.276
Home runs	17
Runs batted in	65
NPB statistics
Batting average	.305
Home runs	93
Runs batted in	324
Teams
	As player Detroit Tigers (1992); San Diego Padres (1993–1995); Boston Red Sox (1996); Kintetsu Buffaloes (1997–2000); As coach Detroit Tigers (2018–2020);
Career highlights and awards
	3× Best Nine Award (1997, 1998, 2000);

Phillip Benjamin Clark (born May 6, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach. He most recently served as the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, and Boston Red Sox. He also played four seasons in Japan with the Kintetsu Buffaloes.

Playing career

Clark signed with the Detroit Tigers after being selected with their first-round pick in the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school, and made his major league debut with the Tigers in 1992. He was sent off to the San Diego Padres the following year, and hit .313 with 9 home runs in 102 games. He continued to play part-time before being released by the Boston Red Sox in 1996. He joined the Kintetsu Buffaloes in the Japanese Pacific League in 1997, and hit 23 home runs with a .331 batting average (second in the league after Ichiro Suzuki) in his first year to win the Best Nine Award at first base. He hit 48 doubles in 1998, which was the Japanese single-season record until Yoshitomo Tani broke it in 2001, and ended with a .320 batting average, with 31 home runs and 114 RBIs to win his second consecutive Best Nine Award. His production decreased in 1999, but he still won a third Best Nine Award at designated hitter. In 2000, he missed over half of the season after being hit by a pitch, and was released at the end of the year.

Coaching career

On December 9, 2014, Clark was named the hitting coach for the Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps.^[1]

On December 2, 2015, Clark was named the hitting coach for the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.^[2]

On November 2, 2017, Clark was named the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers for the 2018 season.^[3]

On December 20, 2020, Clark was hired by the Wei Chuan Dragons of the Chinese Professional Baseball League to be the team's hitting coach for the ensuing season.^[4]

Personal life

His brother, Jerald Clark, also played in the major leagues and Nippon Professional Baseball.

References

^ Schmehl, James (December 9, 2014). "Detroit Tigers announce minor-league coaching staff, name Phil Clark hitting coach at West Michigan". MLive. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
^ Fenech, Anthony (December 2, 2015). "Tigers announce minor-league coaching staffs". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
^ Beck, Jason (November 2, 2017). "Tigers add Bosio, complete coaching staff". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
^ @GOCPBL (December 20, 2020). "Wei Chuan Dragons have signed 4 foreign coaches for the 2021 #CPBL season.- Technical director, Thomas Nieto.- H…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links

Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics

[1] Schmehl, James (December 9, 2014). "Detroit Tigers announce minor-league coaching staff, name Phil Clark hitting coach at West Michigan". MLive. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

[2] Fenech, Anthony (December 2, 2015). "Tigers announce minor-league coaching staffs". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

[3] Beck, Jason (November 2, 2017). "Tigers add Bosio, complete coaching staff". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.

[4] @GOCPBL (December 20, 2020). "Wei Chuan Dragons have signed 4 foreign coaches for the 2021 #CPBL season.- Technical director, Thomas Nieto.- H…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

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