Douglas Dwyer Clark (born March 5, 1976) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

coach and former player. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

for the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

and

Nexen Heroes The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Se ...

Early career

Clark was a star high-school

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player at

Springfield Central High School Springfield Central High School (SCHS) is a public high school located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The high school is for students in grades 9–12. With an enrollment of more than 2,000 students, Springfield Central High School ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. He attended the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

on a football scholarship as a wide receiver. He was a walk-on to the baseball team, and in three seasons posted a career

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .366 with 21

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, 137

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs), and 49

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. Clark was selected by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

in the 20th round of the 1997 MLB draft following his sophomore season, but returned for his junior year. Following that season, he was selected in the 7th round of the 1998 MLB draft by the

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Clark signed with the Giants in 1998 and was assigned to the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classif ...

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their home ...

of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

. He spent the majority of the 1999 season with the Single-A

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facin ...

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 The Shreveport Captains (1971–2000) and Shreveport Swamp Dragons (2001–02) were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana. They were affiliated with the California Angels (1971–72), Milwaukee Brewers (1973–74 ...

. 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 Captains before being called up to the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...

. He also spent 2003 between Double-A and Triple-A, although with a new Double-A affiliate of the Giants, the

Norwich Navigators Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. 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 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 eight games with San Francisco, mainly as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...

, or defensive replacement. He did not record a hit, but scored two runs.

Oakland Athletics

At the end of the season, Clark was granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

by the Giants and was signed by the

Oakland A's The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. Clark started the 2006 season with the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

. He was called up to the major-league A's and made his first appearance with them on June 20, 2006. Clark appeared in six games as a pinch hitter and recorded his first major-league hit. He was then returned to Sacramento where he finished the season hitting .287 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI.

Atlanta Braves

At the end of the 2006 season, Clark was again granted free agency, and was signed by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. He attempted to make the major-league roster in spring training, and while he batted .429 during spring training he failed to secure a roster spot and was assigned to the Triple-A

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

. Clark played in 134 games with Richmond and hit .275 with 15 home runs and 69 RBI. At the end of the 2007 season, Clark was released by the Braves.

Hanwha Eagles

Prior to a game in Richmond during the 2007 season, Clark had been introduced to a Korean baseball scout who stated that he liked the way that Clark played. Prior to the 2008 season, Clark signed on with the

of the

. That season in Korea, Clark hit 23 home runs with 80 RBI and 23 stolen bases, and was named an all-star. However, a midseason knee injury caused his average to drop from .315 to .250.

Nexen Heroes

In 2009, Clark signed and played with the

within the KBO League, hitting .290 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI. He started the 2010 season with the Heroes, hitting .265 with 12 homers and 50 RBI, but was released from the team in July.

Mexican baseball

After leaving the Korean league, Clark was signed by the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

team

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

for the 2011 season. He compiled a .315 batting average, .424

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

, and .579

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

, and by the end of the season was the team's starting left fielder. The team won the league championship in 2011. Clark returned to the Tigres in 2012 and 2013, batting .328 and .319 during those seasons, respectively. During the 2014 season, Clark played 30 games with

Broncos de Reynosa The Reynosa Broncos (''los Broncos de Reynosa'') were a Mexican team that played in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The Broncos de Reynosa played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it was part of the Zona Nor ...

where he batted .272, and 25 games with

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

where he had a .306 average. Clark also played multiple seasons of winter baseball in the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...

, first in 2005–06 with

Mayos de Navojoa The Mayos de Navojoa ( en, Navojoa Mayos) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Navojoa, Sonora. They have been champions of the league twice. The first time was for the 1978–79 season, with Rickey Henderson o ...

and finally in 2014–15 with

Venados de Mazatlán Venados de Mazatlán ( en, Mazatlán Deer) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Mazatlan, Sinaloa. In 2016, the team won the Mexican Pacific League Championship and went on to win their second Caribbean Series ...

, his final professional team.

Coaching career

Clark coached for seven years in the San Francisco Giants organization, reaching the Double-A level as hitting coach for the

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

. For the 2022 season, Clark moved to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

organization, and was named hitting coach for the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Doug 1976 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball players from Springfield, Massachusetts Broncos de Reynosa players Diablos Rojos del México players Fresno Grizzlies players Hanwha Eagles players KBO League outfielders Kiwoom Heroes players Major League Baseball left fielders Mayos de Navojoa players Mexican League baseball left fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Norwich Navigators players Oakland Athletics players Richmond Braves players Sacramento River Cats players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players San Francisco Giants players Shreveport Captains players Shreveport Swamp Dragons players Tigres de Quintana Roo players UMass Minutemen baseball players Venados de Mazatlán players Yaquis de Obregón players Minor league baseball coaches