Call to the pen
Fansided

The Hall of Fame case for San Francisco Giants legend Will Clark

By Noah Yingling

2 Aug 1992: First baseman Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants swings at the ball during a game against the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport
2 Aug 1992: First baseman Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants swings at the ball during a game against the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Will Clark, San Francisco Giants, Baseball Hall of Fame
SAN FRANCISCO – OCTOBER: Manager Dusty Baker #12 and Will Clark #22 of the San Francisco Giants high five teammates against the Chicago Cubs during the 1989 National League Championship Series at Candlestick Park in October 1989 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

The 1989 San Francisco Giants got to the World Series largely due to Will Clark

Will Clark’s best season was 1989 which was, arguably, the best season that the San Francisco Giants had since they last got to the World Series in 1964. The Giants got to the World Series in ’89 as well, largely, because of Clark.

Clark hit .333/.407/.546 with 23 homers, 111 RBI, 38 doubles, and nine triples with an OPS+ of 175 in 159 games. The slash line stats were second, third, and third in the NL. The RBI total was third, the doubles were fourth, the triples were third, and the OPS+ was second in the NL that year. He led the league in runs (104).

Defensively, he had 9 Total Zone Runs (TZ or Rtot), which is the predecessor to Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), which was the highest among NL first basemen. Total, he had an rWAR of 8.6, which was second in the NL.

The only player higher than Clark in WAR was Cardinals’ outfielder Lonnie Smith but Clark’s teammate, Kevin Mitchell, won the NL MVP award. Mitchell led the majors in homers, RBI, OPS, and slugging percentage but Clark topped him in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, runs, and WAR (largely due to his defense) by 1.7 (Mitchell’s WAR was 6.9).

Additionally, Clark was the 1989 NLCS MVP, when he hit 13-for-20 in the five-game series with three doubles, a triple, two homers, and eight RBI.

Overall, he had 56.5 rWAR in his 15-year career.

Home/San Francisco Giants