Tony Clark
Encyclopedia
Anthony Christopher Clark, known as Tony (born June 15, 1972, in Newton
Newton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...

, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

), is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 and current MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...

 studio analyst.

Clark played for the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 (1995–2001), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 (2002), New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 (2003), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 (2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005–2007), San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

 (2008), and again with the Diamondbacks starting in July 2008 until his release in July 2009. He was a switch hitter
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...

, and threw right-handed. He was third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1996, and was an All Star in 2001.

High school career

Clark prepped at Valhalla High School
Valhalla High School (El Cajon, California)
Valhalla High School is a public, comprehensive high school located in Rancho San Diego, a neighborhood near El Cajon, California. It serves approximately 1,700 students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1974, Valhalla is the tenth of 12 high schools established by the Grossmont Union High...

 in El Cajon
El Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, then transferred to nearby Christian High School
Christian High School San Diego
Christian High School, part of the Christian Unified Schools of San Diego, is located in El Cajon, California. It offers a college preparatory education, with the goal to "prepare students who are academically and spiritually prepared to be a light in their community and who understand the nature...

.http://www.maxpreps.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=c6163cea-cc97-43f9-b24a-fa5b42d1d84f He averaged 43.7 points per game in basketball in his senior season.http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20050124&content_id=933886&vkey=pr_ari&fext=.jsp&c_id=ari He amassed a then-San Diego-area high school basketball record with 2,549 career points, and broke Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...

's San Diego high school single-season scoring record with 1,337 points as a senior.http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/team/player_career.jsp?player_id=112316

College career

Clark played college basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

 and San Diego State, where he was the Aztecs top scorer with 11.5 points per game in 1991-92.

Professional baseball career

In a 15-year career, Clark hit .262 with 251 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 824 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

 in 1,559 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...

.

He was third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1996, when he hit .250 with 27 home runs.

His most productive seasons were 1997, with 32 homers and 117 RBIs (though he made 10 errors at first base), 1998, with 34 homers and 103 RBIs (though he made 13 errors at first), and 1999, with 31 home runs and 99 RBIs (though he made 10 errors at first).

Clark was selected an All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

 in 2001.

In 2002, Clark hit only .207 with 29 RBIs and three home runs for Boston in 90 games, with a career-low .291 slugging percentage.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/19/sports/baseball-clark-a-fit-for-the-mets-in-the-big-and-tall-shop.html?n=Top/News/Sports/Baseball/Major%20League/New%20York%20Mets In 2003 he batted .232 for the New York Mets.

2004

Signed as a bench player, Clark filled in for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 in 2004 after Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.He was the American League MVP in 2000 while with the Oakland Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star who has led the American League in walks four times, in on base percentage...

 was forced out of the lineup
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...

 because of an injury. Though he was replaced as the main first baseman by John Olerud
John Olerud
John Garrett Olerud , is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays , New York Mets , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox ....

 late in the season, he still had a few memorable performances.

On June 29, 2004, at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...

, Clark hit a deep center field
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...

 two-run homer off Derek Lowe
Derek Lowe
Derek Christopher Lowe is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. He throws and bats right-handed. He is 6'6" and 230 pounds.-Early years:...

, to help his team to an 11-3 win over the Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

. Clark joined Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...

 and Danny Tartabull
Danny Tartabull
Danilo Tartabull Mora , also known as Danny Tartabull, is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball. Born to Cuban parents in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he is the son of José Tartabull, who played in the major leagues from 1962 to 1970.-Playing career:Danny played for the Seattle Mariners ,...

 as the only players to reach the center field bleachers more than once since the remodeled Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...

 opened in 1976. During an August 28 game, Clark hit a career-high 3 home runs in an 18-6 rout of the Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

 in Toronto.

2005

Clark signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2004 season. In 2005, he enjoyed success with the D-Backs. In a limited role (349 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...

s), he hit .307, belted 30 home runs, and knocked in 87 runs.

2006

In 2006, Clark was injured for most of the season. Although he tried to play through a shoulder injury that required significant surgery to repair, he batted a career-low .197, with a career-low .279 on base percentage, in 132 at bats. He struggled especially against righhanders, batting .125 against them.

2007

In 2007, Clark shared first base with Conor Jackson
Conor Jackson
Conor Sims Jackson is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed. He is 6'2" and roughly 225 pounds. His father is actor John M...

. He played in 113 games, and batted .249.

2008

After the season, his contract was up and on February 10, 2008, Clark agreed to a one-year contract worth $900,000 with the San Diego Padres. On July 17, 2008, he was traded back to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 Evan Scribner. In order to complete the trade, Clark waived a clause under his contract with the Padres pursuant to which he was to receive $500,000 from the Padres if traded.http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3493542

In 2008, between the two teams, Clark batted .225 with a .318 slugging percentage. Clark struck out more than 1/3 of the time, with 55 strikeouts in 151 at bats. He struggled especially against right-handers, batting .198 against them.

2009

Clark filed for free agency after the 2008 season. On January 2, 2009, he signed a one-year deal worth $800,000 to remain with the Diamondbacks.

Clark had a startling good performance on Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...

 2009, hitting 2 home runs to lead the D-Backs to a victory over the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

; fellow switch-hitting teammate Felipe López also homered from both sides of the plate in the same game, making them the first teammates to do so on an Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...

.

Clark slumped badly thereafter, however, as in his next 18 at bats he only managed to eke out a single. As of May 6 he was batting .179, and had struck out in more than half his at bats.http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?playerId=3352 That day Clark was placed on the 15-day disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...

 for a lingering wrist ligament
Ligament
In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...

 injury, and Whitesell, who was hitting .356 for the Reno Aces
Reno Aces
The Reno Aces are a minor league baseball franchise based in Reno, Nevada, in the United States. The team is a member of the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks....

 with a .477 on base percentage, was called up to the Diamondbacks to take his place.http://www.kolotv.com/sports/headlines/44490102.htmlhttp://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=1270&line=262042&spln=1http://ktar.com/?sid=1152178&nid=184 Clark suffered the injury during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

, and re-aggravated it in late April, leaving him unable to swing comfortably from the left side. It was anticipated that the injury could require more than 15 days to heal.http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=2155&line=262063&spln=1 On June 19 Clark came off the disabled list and returned to Arizona (after a rehab assignment at Reno in which he batted .160, and during which he turned 37), and Whitesell was optioned back to Reno (after batting .300 with a .447 on base percentage in his second stint with the team).http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jcVzoFe3V3-HT91U9El4mvRvja5wD98U41CG0http://www.azsnakepit.com/2009/6/15/910371/demons-and-angels-the-best-and In his first game back with the team, Clark went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts to bring his batting average down to .161, with strikeouts in 55% of his at bats for the season.

Clark struggled on defense as well, as on June 21 in his second game back he dropped a throw to him at first base with two outs in the ninth, allowing the winning run to score for Seattle.http://tvsportsdaily.com/article.php?story=2009062207152170 The play left players and managers on both sides stunned and speechless.http://tvsportsdaily.com/article.php?story=2009062207152170 "It's a miserable ending to a rough road trip", manager A.J. Hinch said.http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gamecenter/preview/MLB_20090623_TEX@ARI His resulting .973 fielding percentage was last among major league first basemen who had played 60 or more innings.http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding?groupId=9&season=2009&seasonType=2&split=79&sortOrder=true&sortColumn=fieldingPct&qualified=0

On July 12, 2009, the Diamondbacks released Clark, who was hitting .182 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. They replaced him with Whitesell. Clark said he would continue to work out the next few weeks in the event an opportunity might arise with another team, and that if he doesn't land with another team he might consider broadcasting and coaching, perhaps with the Diamondbacks. Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes
Josh Byrnes
Josh Byrnes is the general manager of the San Diego Padres. Previously, he served as General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball from November 2005 to July 2010.-Biography:...

 expressed an interest in keeping him with the organization, and Clark said he "would welcome the opportunity."http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2009/07/13/20090713dbclark0714.html.

Post-Season

Clark played in four post-season series through 2008, two each for the Yankees and the Diamondbacks. In aggregate, he batted .135, with a .158 on base percentage and a .189 slugging percentage, and drove in one run in 37 at bats.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clarkto02.shtml

Television

In August 2009, after being released from the Diamondbacks Clark became a studio analyst with the MLB Network.

Baseball Players' Association

Clark has filled in a variety of capacities with the Major League Baseball Players' Association, serving as the club player representative for the Red Sox in 2002 and Diamondbacks as recently as 2006. Clark, along with Mark Loretta
Mark Loretta
Mark David Loretta is a retired Major League Baseball infielder. Loretta played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Houston Astros , San Diego Padres , Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers...

, was re-elected as Associate Player Representative on the MLBPA Executive Board upon the ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement on December 8, 2006.

Nickname

During his time in Detroit fans and the media gave Tony the nickname "Tony the Tiger." The nickname came from the Frosted Flakes
Frosted Flakes
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes is a breakfast cereal first introduced by the Kellogg Company. It consists of corn flakes "frosted" or coated with sugar. The "Frosted Flakes" name is used by Kellogg's in United States and Canada. The cereal was first introduced in 1951 as Sugar Frosted Flakes...

 mascot Tony the Tiger
Tony the Tiger
Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power...

 and that he was member of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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