Taylor Clarke

Clarke broke through to the major leagues in 2019 and worked primarily as a starter. He posted a 5.31 ERA, buried by allowing 2.4 HR/9 across 84.2 innings. In 2020, his role changed thanks to the addition of Madison Bumgarner as he began the season in middle and long relief. He posted a passable 3.54 ERA, as a reliever, though his skills were far from spectacular, as he mustered only a 17:10 K:BB across 20.1 innings. Things only worsened once he was pushed back into the starting rotation after Bumgarner and Merrill Kelly landed on the injured list, as he logged a 5.09 ERA and 23:11 K:BB. Whether a starter or reliever, Clarke has been prone to the long ball, logging a 2.2 HR/9 across 128 total innings in the big leagues. Heading into 2021, Clarke projects to start the season as a long reliever and potential swing man.

Clarke worked in a swing role for Arizona last year with mixed results. He lacks one plus pitch, but has a full bag of pitches he slings toward the plate to keep hitters off-balance and guessing. The troubles arise when he falls behind in the count as 22 of his 23 home runs came when the batter was even or ahead in the count. The league hit .194 against him when Clarke held the high ground, .206 when the hitter held the high ground, but a whopping .356 when the count was even. That speaks to an issue with pitch execution. He has the stuff and profile to be a solid fourth starter if it all comes together, but he does not have the stuff to get away with mistakes and was harshly reminded of that in 2019. He could be a Ryan Yarbrough with a delivery adjustment.