Doug Clark (baseball)

Early career

Clark was a star high-school football, basketball and tennis player at Springfield Central High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a football scholarship as a wide receiver. However, Clark was a walk-on to the baseball team, and in three seasons posted a career batting average of .366 with 21 home runs, 137 RBI, and 49 stolen bases. Clark was be drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 20th round of the MLB Draft following his sophomore season, but returned for his junior year. Following that season, he was picked in the 7th round of the 1998 MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants.

American professional career

Clark signed with the Giants in 1998 and was assigned to the Single A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Northwest League. He spent the majority of the 1999 season at Single A Bakersfield and had a successful stint with them, batting .326 with 11 home runs, 58 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He also played 15 games with the Double A Shreveport Captains. Clark spent the entire 2000 and 2001 seasons in Shreveport. He enjoyed two fairly successful seasons, hitting .272 with 10 home runs and 75 RBI in 2000, and .275 with 6 home runs, 51 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 2001. In 2002 Clark started the season again with the Double A Shreveport Captains before being called up to the Triple A Fresno Grizzlies. However, he also spent 2003 between Double A and Triple A, this time with a new Double A affiliate of the Giants, the Norwich Navigators. Clark played the entire 2004 season in Norwich, batting .292 with 4 home runs and 49 RBI.

Clark started the 2005 season with the Triple A Fresno Grizzlies. He played in 127 games with the Grizzlies batting .316 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI. On September 14, 2005 Clark made his major league debut with the Giants. Clark appeared in 8 games with San Francisco mainly as a pinch hitter or runner or defensive replacement. He did not record a hit but scored two runs. At the end of the season he was granted free agency by the Giants and was quickly signed to a free agent contract by the Oakland A's Clark started the 2006 season with the Triple A Sacramento River Cats but was called up to the A's and made his first appearance with them on June 20, 2006. Clark appeared in 6 games as a pinch hitter and recorded his first major league hit. He was then recalled to Sacramento where he finished the season hitting .287 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI. At the end of the 2006 season Clark was again granted free agency and was signed by the Atlanta Braves. He attempted to make the major league roster in spring training, although he batted .429 in spring training he failed to secure a roster spot and was sent to the Triple A Richmond Braves. Clark played in 134 games with Richmond and hit .275 with 15 home runs and 69 RBI.

Later professional career

At the end of the 2007 season Clark was released by the Braves. However, during the 2007 season prior to a game in Richmond, Clark had been introduced to a Korean scout who was in attendance and stated that he liked the way that Clark played. Prior to the 2008 season Clark signed on with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Professional League. That season Clark hit 23 home runs with 80 RBI and 23 stolen bases, and was an All-Star. However, a midseason knee injury caused his average to drop from .315 to .250. In 2009 Clark signed and played with the Heroes but was released from the team in July 2010.

After leaving the Korean league, Clark again shopped his talents to the baseball world and was signed by the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo for the 2011 season. By the end of the regular season, Clark was the team's starting left fielder and had their second highest batting average with .315, on-base percentage, .423, and slugging percentage, .579. Tigres de Quintana Roo won the championship league in 2011.