This Clark Needs No Introduction

YUMA, Ariz. —  J. Clark was the subject and Tony Gwynn was the speaker.

Listen in . . .

“I believe he will be the guy,” Gwynn was saying. “He’s hit everywhere he’s been where he’s played every day. The ball just jumps off his bat. He’ll put up some good numbers. Plus he’s worked hard at his defense and he has a good attitude.”

Last year, this guy’s jersey said “Je. Clark” on the back. This year, it just says “Clark.” There is no OTHER Clark.

THIS Clark is Jerald Clark, 1991’s rotisserie league steal.

This Clark has been around for parts of the last three seasons, playing in 76 games and getting 157 at bats. He has been playing a waiting game instead of baseball.

His time has come.

He is sitting in front of his locker working on a crossword puzzle. He is doing it with a pen. Obviously, he is a confident young man. It’s about time his time has come. He has the offensive skills to step into the lineup and make people wonder where he has been all this time.

Waiting.

“We had Joe Carter in left field and Tony Gwynn in right field,” manager Greg Riddoch said. “He was relegated to a reserve role until we could give him a shot.”

Carter is gone and Clark is the guy.

“I like his bat a lot,” Riddoch said. “His defense is decent, but his bat is very impressive. He has some pop. He hit a line drive to second base a couple of days ago that might have been one or two hops to the wall if it hadn’t been caught. He hit it THAT hard.”

Of Clark’s first 10 spring training hits, eight were for extra bases.

That’s pop.

However, the perception in San Diego, and maybe around baseball, was that trading Carter left the Padres with a gaping void in left field. This was because Clark, 27, had been sporadic in his cameo appearances in the big leagues.

“Mainly,” Clark said, “I’m trying to get some things out of people’s heads. A lot of negative stuff has been said. People hear stuff forever and they start to believe it.”

People remember defensive lapses in the outfield and they remember strike outs. Cameo appearances, by nature, tend to leave sparse impressions to grasp.

These come to be known as raps on a guy, fairly or not.

“Raps?” said Riddoch. “He’s hit .300 every place he’s gone. That’s not a bad rap.”

Riddoch pulled out a Padre media guide and flipped through the pages until he got to 20. He recited .325 at Spokane in 1985, .303 at Reno and .321 in Beaumont in 1986, .313 at Wichita in 1987, .301 at Las Vegas in 1988, .313 at Las Vegas in 1989 and .304 at Las Vegas in 1990.

“I’d like to project THOSE numbers,” he said. “We’ll settle for that.”

You want to project? And compare?

Jerald Clark has hit .242 in his 157 major league at bats. Give him the same number Carter had last year, 634, and what he has done in those 157 at bats would project to 28 doubles, four triples, 24 home runs and 85 runs batted in. Carter hit .232 with 27 doubles, one triple, 24 home runs and 115 runs batted in.

What we are talking here is cloning, and even that could well be misleading. Remember that Carter put his numbers together given the advantage of playing every day. With Clark, we are talking cameo appearances spread over three seasons.

Jerald Clark, it would appear, is a very dangerous and very secret weapon.

Recall, however, that Clark was the only Padre to hit two home runs in one game last year. It happened Oct. 2 in Los Angeles. Those guys won’t be surprised.

“I’ve done it in the minor leagues,” he said, “but I haven’t done it in the major leagues. I have to play to know what I can do and show what I can do. That’s the bottom line.”

He is one of three Clark brothers who came out of Crockett, Tex., with the dream of playing in the major leagues. Isaiah was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, but has since retired. Phil was drafted by the Detroit Tigers and he figures to be playing at Toledo this year. Jerald is the one who will step up to the plate as an opening day starter in 1991.

“Things have been a lot brighter this spring,” he said. “Things are looking better than they have in the past. I’ve never had this role before. I’ve got to do it now.”

It’s a healthy situation for him. He won’t be in a high-pressure position in the batting order, probably sixth or seventh. Bip Roberts, Tony Fernandez and Tony Gwynn are expected to get on base and Fred McGriff and Benito Santiago are expected to drive them in. Those guys are the meat and potatoes and Jerald Clark is the gravy.