MLB Draft Day 2 (2024)

Clarke was a bit of a high school pop-up prospect in Virginia at the start of the 2021 spring season, but even though he was a projectable left-hander with glimpses of plus stuff, he wasn’t able to maintain a strong start and faded out of the Draft picture. He headed to Alabama to start his career but after not getting any mound time his first season, he went the junior college route and transferred to State College of Florida. He pitched sparingly in 2023 but was a regular member of the rotation in 2024, finishing among the nation’s junior college leaders in strikeouts.

In some ways, Clarke is still the raw and projectable southpaw who opened eyes early in 2021, but with a bit more of a track record. The 6-foot-4 lefty has plenty of fastball, and he relies heavily on the pitch. He can be up to 96-97 mph at times, sitting around 94, though it isn’t thrown with a ton of life right now. His upper-70s curve has the chance to be a real out pitch with power, though he doesn’t always commit to it, and he has a firm, upper-80s changeup that needs work.

Clarke’s control has been intermittent, and he walked 4.2 per nine during the 2024 season. While he might best be suited for a relief role, there’s still some ceiling here, though teams will have to balance his upside and arm strength with his lack of resume beyond this spring -- and perhaps his Tommy John surgery in high school -- when deciding if they want to try to sign him away from heading to South Carolina next year.