Will Clark, baseball player, 284 home runs, 1986-2000

Will Clark

Born: 3/13/1964 in New Orleans, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1986-04-08 | Final Game: 2000-10-01

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: William Nuschler Clark

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Biography

Will Clark, born in 1964, was a prominent first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 until 2000. Known for his powerful left-handed swing and exceptional batting skills, Clark became a key figure in the game during the late 1980s and 1990s. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 1,976 games, accumulating 2,176 hits and achieving an impressive batting average of .303. His offensive prowess was highlighted by 284 home runs and 1,205 runs batted in (RBIs), alongside 67 stolen bases, showcasing both his power and speed for a player of his position. Clark was selected to the All-Star team six times and earned the NLCS MVP award, underscoring his ability to perform in high-pressure situations. His playing style combined a mix of technical skill and competitive spirit, making him a fan favorite and a respected opponent. As a player during a transformative era in baseball, Clark's contributions helped pave the way for future generations of athletes, and his legacy continues to be celebrated by baseball enthusiasts.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1976 7173 1186 2176 440 47 284 1205 67 937 1190 0.303 0.384 0.497 0.880 29924.1

Career AVG .303 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +15.3% above league average.

Career OBP .384 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Career SLG .497 vs. league average .407 across their career seasons — +22.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.880 vs. league average 0.739 across their career seasons — +19.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1986 SFG NL 111 408 66 117 27 2 11 41 4 34 76 0.287 .257 (+11%) .325 (+5%) .395 (+12%) .720 (+9%) 659.6
1987 SFG NL 150 529 89 163 29 5 35 91 5 49 98 0.308 .262 (+17%) .331 (+12%) .415 (+40%) .746 (+27%) 2941.2
1988 SFG NL 162 575 102 162 31 6 29 109 9 100 129 0.282 .254 (+11%) .317 (+21%) .377 (+34%) .695 (+29%) 3505.8
1989 SFG NL 159 588 104 196 38 9 23 111 8 74 103 0.333 .254 (+31%) .319 (+27%) .375 (+46%) .694 (+37%) 4416.5
1990 SFG NL 154 600 91 177 25 5 19 95 8 62 97 0.295 .257 (+14%) .324 (+10%) .385 (+16%) .710 (+13%) 1574.6
1991 SFG NL 148 565 84 170 32 7 29 116 4 51 91 0.301 .255 (+18%) .323 (+11%) .384 (+39%) .708 (+26%) 2795.3
1992 SFG NL 144 513 69 154 40 1 16 73 12 73 82 0.300 .255 (+17%) .322 (+19%) .377 (+26%) .699 (+23%) 2412.2
1993 SFG NL 132 491 82 139 27 2 14 73 2 63 68 0.283 .265 (+7%) .332 (+11%) .403 (+7%) .735 (+9%) 982.6
1994 TEX AL 110 389 73 128 24 2 13 80 5 71 59 0.329 .269 (+22%) .338 (+27%) .424 (+18%) .763 (+22%) 2012.1
1995 TEX AL 123 454 85 137 27 3 16 92 0 68 50 0.302 .266 (+13%) .337 (+15%) .417 (+15%) .755 (+15%) 1482.9
1996 TEX AL 117 436 69 124 25 1 13 72 2 64 67 0.284 .269 (+5%) .340 (+11%) .426 (+2%) .767 (+6%) 663.4
1997 TEX AL 110 393 56 128 29 1 12 51 0 49 62 0.326 .266 (+22%) .336 (+19%) .419 (+18%) .756 (+19%) 1542.8
1998 TEX AL 149 554 98 169 41 1 23 102 1 72 97 0.305 .266 (+15%) .335 (+14%) .420 (+21%) .755 (+18%) 2169.9
1999 BAL AL 77 251 40 76 15 0 10 29 2 38 42 0.303 .271 (+12%) .344 (+15%) .433 (+11%) .778 (+13%) 698.9
2000 BAL AL 79 256 49 77 15 1 9 28 4 47 45 0.301 .270 (+11%) .344 (+20%) .437 (+8%) .782 (+13%) 825.7
2000 STL NL 51 171 29 59 15 1 12 42 1 22 24 0.345 .270 (+28%) .344 (+24%) .437 (+50%) .782 (+38%) 825.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
31 117 20 39 8 1 5 16 13 19 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2000 NLCS SLN 5 17 3 7 2 0 1 1 2 1 0.412
2000 NLDS1 SLN 3 12 3 3 0 0 1 4 1 3 0.250
1998 ALDS2 TEX 3 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.091
1996 ALDS2 TEX 4 16 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 2 0.125
1989 NLCS SFN 5 20 8 13 3 1 2 8 2 2 0.650
1989 WS SFN 4 16 2 4 1 0 0 0 1 3 0.250
1987 NLCS SFN 7 25 3 9 2 0 1 3 3 6 0.360

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1889 1865 16695 1294 136 1571

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 SFN 1B 102 99 942 72 11 76
1987 SFN 1B 139 133 1253 103 13 130
1988 SFN 1B 158 157 1492 104 12 126
1989 SFN 1B 158 157 1445 111 10 117
1990 SFN 1B 153 152 1456 119 12 118
1991 SFN 1B 144 143 1273 110 4 115
1992 SFN 1B 141 141 1275 105 10 130
1993 SFN 1B 129 129 1078 88 14 113
1994 TEX 1B 107 106 968 73 10 87
1995 TEX 1B 122 122 1076 88 7 125
1996 TEX 1B 117 116 956 73 4 90
1997 TEX 1B 100 98 880 62 4 86
1998 TEX 1B 134 133 1079 73 13 112
1999 BAL 1B 63 62 575 42 3 54
2000 BAL 1B 72 71 583 44 6 58
2000 SLN 1B 50 46 364 27 3 34

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1888
Designated Hitter 33

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2000 Player of the Week Week of 2000-08-05
1994 Player of the Week Week of 1994-05-07
1991 Gold Glove 1B
1991 Player of the Month August
1991 Player of the Week Week of 1991-07-13
1991 Silver Slugger 1B
1991 TSN All-Star 1B
1989 NLCS MVP
1989 Player of the Month May
1989 Player of the Month September
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-04-22
1989 Silver Slugger 1B
1989 TSN All-Star 1B
1988 Player of the Month June
1988 Player of the Week Week of 1988-08-05
1988 Player of the Week Week of 1988-06-24
1988 TSN All-Star 1B
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-08-06
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-09-18

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2000 BAL AL $6,000,000
1999 BAL AL $4,920,840
1998 TEX AL $5,812,595
1997 TEX AL $5,657,365
1996 TEX AL $5,657,365
1995 TEX AL $5,647,726
1994 TEX AL $3,875,972
1993 SFN NL $4,750,000
1992 SFN NL $4,275,000
1991 SFN NL $3,750,000
1990 SFN NL $2,250,000
1989 SFN NL $1,125,000
1988 SFN NL $320,000
1987 SFN NL $120,000
1986 SFN NL $60,000
Total Career Earnings $54,221,863

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS 1983, 1984, 1985

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1994 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 17.0 392 0
1991 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 118.0 336 0
1989 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 225.0 336 3
1988 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 135.0 336 0
1987 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 128.0 336 0
1986 Rookie of the Year NL 5th 5.0 120 0