The Brewers traded minor league first baseman Wes Clarke to the Astros, experiences Francys Romero. He was not on the Brewers’ 40-man roster and won’t occupy a roster spot with Houston. It’s not clear what Milwaukee obtained in trade, although most trades of this nature are sometimes for money concerns.
Clarke, 25, was a Tenth-round draftee in 2021. A university catcher at South Carolina, he has moved off the place to full-time first base/designated hitter work this yr. Clarke confirmed large energy in faculty and hit 26 dwelling runs in Double-A two seasons in the past. He ranked amongst Milwaukee’s high 20 prospects at Baseball America going into the ’24 marketing campaign in consequence. His inventory has dropped since then, as his already excessive strikeout charges reached untenable ranges since he was promoted to Triple-A Nashville.
The righty-hitting Clarke posted a .243/.340/.458 mark with 18 homers in 87 contests final yr. That’s a stable sufficient slash line, however he struck out in additional than 35% of his plate appearances. Clarke has barely improved the strikeout price this yr (30.2%) however has dropped to a .216/.352/.358 slash with six longballs in 182 journeys to the dish. His exit velocities aren’t a lot totally different from final season, so maybe the Astros really feel he’s been a bit unfortunate on batted balls. Clarke has plus energy and a particularly affected person strategy, however the swing-and-miss and restricted defensive worth make for a troublesome profile.
