Matt Clark loves watching a baseball fly off his bat and soar over an outfielder’s head and out of the park for a home run.  Wherever he’s played and at whatever level, the strappling left-handed batting slugger his blasted the long ball.  As a junior at Louisiana State in 2008, Clark and Gordon Beckham hit more home runs (28) than all other Division I baseball players.

Clark, acquired by the Mets in the off-season after playing in Japan last year, has found his groove in Binghamton.  After 10 games and 33 at-bats Clark leads the B-Mets in almost every batting category: average .394, runs scored (8), doubles (4), home runs (4), runs batted in (9) base-on-balls (8), on-base-percentage (.512) slugging percentage (.879) OPS (1.391) and, typical of most power hitting sluggers, strikeouts (8).

All Matt Clark has ever really wanted is a chance to prove he can do what he always does on a baseball diamond, hit the long ball, at the major league level.  In six minor league seasons, he has  hit 20 or more home runs five times with a .284 batting average and 399 RBI’s.  As part of the San Diego Padres organization, Clark batted a combined .291 with over 1,000 at bats at Triple-A Tucson in 2011 and 2012, smacking 45 home runs and knocking home 160 RBI’s in 250 games.

When the call to the big dance never came, Clark took his game to Japan last season.  It may have been a cultural change but the baseballs continued to fly off Clark’s bat and over the fence as he banged out 25 home runs.  With first base a minefield in the Met’s organization, Clark took a chance that he might earn a look in Flushing.  For now, the 6’5,” 230 pound slugger has been assigned to Double-A Binghamton where he’s taken the Eastern League by storm.

At 27 years of age, the clock is ticking for Matt Clark.  The big first baseman holds fast to his belief, that when his card is finally called, he’ll do what he’s always done in baseball, launch the long ball over the wall.

(Photo Credit: Jeff Miller)