| Player: Brandon Clarke | |||||||||||
| Org: Boston Red Sox | Highest Level: High A | Position(s): LHP | |||||||||
| Height: 6’4″ | Weight: 220 lbs. | Bats: Left | Throws: Left | ||||||||
| Summary: Clarke’s appeal starts with pure stuff. A tall, explosive left-hander with long levers and rare arm speed, he sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and has reached triple digits, creating uncomfortable angle and late life thanks to big extension. The fastball itself is volatile—shape wavers between ride/run profiles and he doesn’t always finish the pitch—but when it’s right, it’s a tough matchup for both sides. His upper-80s to near-90 mph slider is the real moneymaker: a vicious, high-bat-miss offering that can show both two-plane tilt and chase-inducing sweep depending on release. The sweeper variant isn’t as consistent in-zone, but it’s a true weapon when tunneled correctly. Command and durability remain the separating questions. Clarke’s delivery contains effort, cross-body finish, and recoil that contribute to scatter-shot fastball execution and add reliever risk. Blister flare-ups and a history of arm/shoulder procedures have slowed innings accumulation, and the underdeveloped changeup leaves him operating mostly as a two-pitch force. At his best, he flashes a legitimate front-of-the-rotation fastball/slider combination, but the fastball command toggles between playable and untenable, and the lack of a dependable third pitch remains a hurdle. The overall package is a high-variance, high-ceiling arm. If Boston can stabilize his delivery enough to land the heater more consistently and coax even a fringe-average third pitch, Clarke has the upside of a power mid-rotation starter who overmatches lefties and handles righties with sheer stuff. If not, his stuff already fits a leverage relief role—with a 96–99 mph heater, a wipeout slider, and the extension to make both play up—as one of the nastier two-pitch lefties in the system. | |||||||||||
Shaun Kernahan is the founder and lead writer of Three Quarter Slot, where he blends scouting precision with a storyteller’s eye for the human side of the game. Based in Parker, Colorado, he has covered baseball prospects at every level since 2013, delivering in-depth evaluations, draft analysis, and developmental insight. Over the years, he has built Three Quarter Slot into a trusted home for thoughtful prospect coverage, detailed scouting reports, and a grounded look at how talent evolves
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