The Forgotten Superstar

Remembering Jack Clark

The Forgotten Superstar

Go back to the 1980s, and you’ll read all about Jack Clark, the can’t miss slugging superstar.

Back in 1979, Bill James thought he was a superstar slugger just like the Giants of old:

From Esquire, April 24, 1979, page 64

There was reason for optimism, of course. Clark had just come off a breakout season in 1978, where he put up a .306 batting average, 25 home runs, and 98 runs batted in, despite playing in a pitcher’s park.

Clark had stayed healthy all season, too. He looked like a sure bet.

But it didn’t happen.

Though Clark retained his star status through the 1980s, the bright light faded quickly. And there were a few things that contributed to his offensive troubles.

One was injuries. Clark seemed to always be bitten by the injury bug. The first real severe injury that he suffered was a knee injury in June 1984, which might have had him listed as “day to day” here, but, in reality, sidelined him for most of the season:

From The San Francisco Examiner, June 11, 1984, page 44

And then came an awful thumb injury that kept him out of most of the 1986 season:

From The Kansas City Times, June 26, 1986, page 62

And then, right as the Cardinals were getting ready for their third postseason run of the decade, Clark was hurt again in September 1987:

From St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 10, 1987, page 1D

Despite Clark’s great 1987 season, where he put up a 1.055 OPS and an amazing 176 OPS+, he was crippled by that injury and unable to help the Cardinals.

That’s an issue, of course. Clark was nowhere to be found on the biggest stage, and it impacted his ability to shine.

Clark’s second problem, of course, is that he played in pitchers parks for almost his whole career. The ballpark effects almost certainly limited his home run totals.

It’s not that he wasn’t hitting home runs. In fact, he managed to hit 35 in St. Louis in 1987, his career high.

The problem is that it was disappointing in the end. Clark’s ability to hit 27 in San Francisco in 1982 had people wondering what he could do if he went to someplace like Detroit or Seattle. In the end, though, he wound up at monstrous Busch stadium, playing on a team that valued speed over power.

And then comes the biggest problem: his lack of longevity.

Clark was a somewhat effective player from ages 32 through 35, though he bounced from one team to another. In fact, if you look at his stats, you’ll notice that a lot of his WAR value seems to have come from his ability to draw walks and occasional ability to hit for power. He was a first baseman, after all — not exactly a high demand defensive position.

The end came abruptly in 1992. And, well, he had a few things to worry about that season:

From The Boston Globe, August 9, 1992, page 57

Clark was overweight when he showed up for spring training in 1993, and that was the end.

Jack ended his career with 340 home runs, a fairly impressive 137 OPS+, and 53.1 WAR. It wasn’t a bad career, and you can certainly imagine why he was feared for much of the 1980s. I mean, there were always famous moments like this one:

In the end, though, it barely registered a splash for Hall of Fame considerations.

Clark looks pretty bad in terms of overall Hall of Fame candidates:

And I’d argue that his similarity score candidates say it all:

Hodges is one of those controversial choices, of course. Nobody else was really all that close to the Hall.

Now, in 1985 people would laugh you to scorn if you even suggested that Jack Clark was similar to Greg Luzinski. However, factor in the ballparks and the overall career trajectories, and that’s kind of what you get.

I’ll always wonder what might have been. Stick Clark in the Kingdome in 1985 and see if he can’t hit 60 home runs.