LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tarik Skubal¡¯s defense of his American League Cy Young Award officially begins Thursday at Dodger Stadium, but the Tigers left-hander already has some new gold going into Opening Day, courtesy of future teammate Max Clark.
Skubal mentioned on a podcast during Spring Training that he wouldn¡¯t mind having a gold chain like what Clark wears, the one with his initials. Clark heard it and delivered, presenting Skubal with a chain with his initials a few days ago in the clubhouse.
¡°Something light,¡± Clark, Detroit's No. 2 prospect, told Skubal during the presentation. ¡°You might be able to throw some K¡¯s in that. But fitting for a Cy Young.¡±
It¡¯s fitting, but don¡¯t expect Skubal to pitch in it.
¡°Yeah, not when I play,¡± Skubal said Saturday morning after wearing it into the clubhouse. ¡°That'll be an off-the-field thing, not on-the-field thing.¡±
The chains have become a trademark of Clark¡¯s on-field look. Fellow Tigers prospect and Clark¡¯s good friend Kevin McGonigle (No. 3) joked last week that he tried putting one on for a workout and could barely keep his neck up.
¡°Yeah, it's heavy,¡± Skubal said. ¡°It lays right on you. It lets you know it's there. I don't know how he plays with that, to be honest. That's his whole thing, his whole persona. But he's a really good kid, and I'm excited for him. I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to do something like that, too. I think that speaks about who we are as a team. We want guys to come up here and feel comfortable and go out there and play.¡±
The Tigers welcomed an influx of prospects last year, several of whom played a role in their late-season charge to the postseason. Top prospect Jackson Jobe will open the season in the Tigers¡¯ rotation, making his first Major League start in Seattle, after spending the postseason in the bullpen. Trey Sweeney, who filled in admirably for an injured Javier B¨¢ez, appears well-positioned to open the season at shortstop, platooning with B¨¢ez.
But there are few prospects in baseball with the presence of Clark, whose social media following dwarfs that of Skubal. He already has a star presence, and he has yet to play above High-A West Michigan.
In addition to last Sunday¡¯s Spring Breakout game, the Tigers have worked Clark and McGonigle into several Grapefruit League games over the past couple weeks. In the process, Clark has become a familiar face in the dugout and the outfield, getting to know the guys who could be his teammates in the not-so-distant future.
¡°I have no problem with the social media following thing,¡± Skubal said, ¡°because when he gets on the field and who he is, what you guys don't see is he's a grinder. You can take all that jewelry, all that stuff, but he plays the game really, really hard, and he cares about all the little things, everything. And I've got a ton of respect for guys that do that. He's one of those guys.¡±
Skubal took notice when Clark threw behind a baserunner for an out in the Spring Breakout game, bluffing a throw to third before firing to second to end a scoring threat.
¡°He could've easily just cashed it in, hit the cutoff man,¡± Skubal said. ¡°But he's always trying to make a play. And his at-bats, he's always in it, every single pitch. That's what I've noticed facing him in live [batting sessions] and that's what I've noticed watching him do his thing, too. He's going to be a really good player for a really long time. Hopefully he's on our team sooner rather than later, too. There's obviously a lot that goes into that, but he's a really good player.¡±
Clark, Malloy collide
Few things worry a manager and an executive in Spring Training more than an end-of-camp injury. The Tigers got a scare in Sunday¡¯s 4-2 loss in the Grapefruit League finale when Clark, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 6 prospect, and Justyn-Henry Malloy, Detroit¡¯s potential Opening Day left fielder, collided chasing down a Bryson Stott line drive to left-center.
Stott¡¯s fifth-inning drive sent the speedy Clark sprinting into the gap to run it down while Malloy pursued it from left. Clark made a diving attempt but missed. Malloy nearly stepped on Clark before tumbling over him. Both players were down for several minutes before being helped back to their feet after Stott rounded the bases with an inside-the-park home run.
¡°It was a double-sun ball, where both guys had a hard time,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°At first I think J-Hen was tracking and then couldn¡¯t find it, so Max tried to play hero and dove into him. Luckily, everybody¡¯s fine.¡±
Clark stayed in the game, while Malloy was helped off by an athletic trainer.
¡°It was more of a precautionary thing,¡± Malloy said. ¡°I feel great, walking around, smiling, happy to get out of here and get on to San Fran and play some games. But I¡¯m 100 percent, all good. It was my left leg.¡±