One of Canada’s top baseball prospects – and a player with impeccable bloodlines – is set to make his major league debut after being called up Friday by the struggling Oakland Athletics.
Denzel Clarke, 25, is hitting .286 with an .855 OPS, 21 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 31 games with triple-A Las Vegas this year and could be a welcome boost to an A’s team that is currently on a nine-game losing streak.
A 6’4” outfielder with Gold Glove potential and impressive speed on the basepaths – he has stolen 85 bases over 311 minor-league appearances across five levels and famously hit inside-the-park homers on consecutive days in Class A – Clarke split his time growing up between Ajax and Pickering and also played in Oshawa for the Legionaires.
Clarke, who played for Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and for the AL in the 2022 MLB …