David Earl Clark (born September 3, 1962) is an American former outfielder in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

who played from 1986 to 1998. He most recently served as the first base coach and outfield instructor for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He served as manager of the Houston Astros Double-A affiliate, the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

(2005–2007), and led them to the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

Championship in 2006. He also served as the manager of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

Triple-A affiliate, the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

and served as the manager for the Huntsville Stars, the double-A affiliate for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He was the interim Manager for the

at the end of the 2009 season.

Early life

Clark was born in

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North ...

, and attended

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

, where he was team MVP in 1982 and 1983.

Baseball career

Clark was a first round draft pick for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

in 1983, and made his Major League debut with the club as a September call up in 1986. For his career, Clark batted .264 with 62

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 284

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

over twelve plus seasons. His best season was with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in 1994, when he batted .296 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs. Clark's first coaching job was within the Pirates organization in 2000. Originally hired as the

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for their rookie club in the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

, by the end of the season he found himself holding the same job with their Triple-A affiliate, the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music indus ...

. A season later, he was the hitting coach for the Pirates at the major league level. After two years as the Pirates hitting coach, Clark was offered the managerial position with their advanced A affiliate, the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

. After leading the Hillcats to the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 un ...

playoffs, he moved on to the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

the following season, and lead the team to a

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

championship. In 2005, the opportunity to manage at the double-A level lured him away to the

organization. In three seasons managing the

, Clark produced a 207–212 record, and in 2006, led the team to its first ever

Championship. On September 21, 2009, Clark took over as an interim manager of the Houston Astros, replacing Cecil Cooper. Clark served as the first base coach for the Astros through the 2013 season and head coach for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League. On November 6, 2013, the Tigers announced the hiring of Clark as third-base coach and outfield instructor. Clark shifted to first base coach prior to the 2020 season.

Managerial record

Personal life

His brother, Louis, was a wide receiver for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

References

Sources

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Retrosheet
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Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Dave 1962 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players Albuquerque Dukes players Baseball players from Mississippi Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Detroit Tigers coaches Houston Astros coaches Houston Astros managers Houston Astros players Jackson State Tigers baseball players Jackson State University alumni Kansas City Royals players Los Angeles Dodgers players Maine Guides players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Omaha Royals players Sportspeople from Tupelo, Mississippi Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Pittsburgh Pirates players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Waterbury Indians players Waterloo Indians players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople