Clarke is the 389th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Kokomo Jackrabbit Denzel Clarke made his Major League debut on Friday, May 23, 2025. Clarke is the 389th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Clarke, who played collegiately at California State University, Northridge, played for the Jackrabbits in 2019. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics.
In 2019 with the Jackrabbits, Clarke appeared in 31 games and hit .213 with one home run, five doubles, and 10 RBI. He scored 16 times and stole six bases.
Clarke started his professional career in 2021 with the Athletics Rookie level team in the Arizona Complex League. In seven games he hit .316 with a home run and two doubles.
In 2022 Clarke began the year with the Stockton Ports of the Low-A California League. After 42 games he was sent to the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-A Midwest League. For the season he played in 93 games and hit .248 with 15 home runs, 23 doubles, and four triples. He drove in 47, scored 67 times, and stole 30 bases.
Clarke spent the 2023 season with the Midland RockHounds of the Double-A Texas League. He played in 64 games and hit .261 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles, and four triples. He scored 54 times, had 43 RBI and stole 11 bases.
In 2024 Clarke was again in Midland where he played in 116 games and had 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and 36 stolen bases.
Prior to his call-up to the Athletics, Clarke had played in 31 games with the Las Vegas Aviators of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He was hitting .286 with three triples, eight doubles, and 25 runs scored. He had driven in 21 and stole seven bases. In his Major League debut against the Philadelphia Philles, Clarke started the game in centerfield and went 0 for 3 at the plate.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 385 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.