Imagine steadily climbing toward a goal and doing as well as you possibly can, but still coming up short.
That was the position Matt Clark found himself in at the end of the 2012 season, his second straight at Triple-A Tucson (the Padres’ affiliate). He posted a .290 average with 22 homers and 77 RBIs in 445 at-bats, but did not get a September call-up.
After the season, Clark — now a first baseman with the Double-A Binghamton Mets — decided to leave the United States and play in Japan, where despite batting just .238, he hit 25 homers and drove in 70 runs for the Chunichi Dragons.
“I said, ‘I’m going to pursue [Japan] if I’m not going [to get called up],’ ” Clark said in a phone interview.
Fast-forward to today, where Clark is shining for Binghamton. Through 28 games, the first baseman is hitting .323 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 93 at-bats, while also sporting an improved walk rate (14 against just 19 strikeouts).
“He can drive the ball anywhere,” Binghamton hitting coach Luis Rivera said. “He’s a good fastball hitter. He’s doing really well against lefties. Sometimes, he tries to do too much. That’s normal — something everybody tries to do.
“Defensively, he’s great. Good hands, picks up the ball really [well], everything that he does is nice and easy, no rush. His hands are above-average.”
It’s safe to say Binghamton isn’t where Clark envisioned he would be after last season.
“I was originally going back to Japan — I had a two-year deal lined up worth a lot of money,” he said. “I came home and was getting ready to go back, and December rolled around and [Chunichi’s] ownership changed. They didn’t want to pay me. When January 1 came around, they said, ‘We’re not going to re-sign you.’ I didn’t sign with the Mets until [the end of January].”
After getting an invitation to spring training, Clark was assigned to the minor league camp in mid-March and went to Binghamton — a move that was a step down in competition for him, seeing how much he accomplished in Japan last season and in Triple-A the two seasons before that.
“I told them, ‘I haven’t played in Double-A since 2010 and I hit 28 homers and drove in 97 [runs],’ ” he said. “But [it gave] me a chance to show what I can do.”
Clark said his year in Japan took him off the radar in the States, forcing him to prove himself again at Double-A.
“I think it [came] down to being away from the game,” he said. “Everybody had forgotten — out of sight, out of mind. That really motivated me, that I’m still here and I’ve done [well] everywhere I went. It seemed like a good opportunity. It’s all I wanted, and as long as I can keep doing what I’m doing, there will be an opportunity.”
Rivera said he thinks the year Clark spent in Japan, while possibly setting him back in terms of where he’s playing now, was a big benefit for his development and confidence.
“Playing in Japan, it’s a harder level,” he said. “He [gained] more confidence [in] his tools going over there.”
Rivera said he feels if Clark gets the call to the majors, he will be brought along slowly.
“Right now, I would say sixth or seventh in the batting order,” he said. “He will be more relaxed and get better pitches. If he shows he can hit, they will move [him] up.”