Max Clark of Franklin Community (Ind.) selected third overall in MLB Draft by Detroit Tigers

Franklin Community outfielder has signed with Vanderbilt

Many of the mock drafts predicted Franklin Community center fielder Max Clark would be among the first five picks in the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday night.  

Those predictions proved to be accurate, but with a twist.

Clark, a thrillingly talented 6-foot, 190-pounder, was selected with the No. 3 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers. 

MLB.com rated the left-handed hitting Grizzly Cubs center fielder as the fifth-best prospect in this year's crop of prospects, though some pundits proposed that Clark is talented enough that he could be considered with the No. 1 overall pick in most draft years.

Clark was named the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year after a sensational senior season that saw him hit .646 with six home runs, 33 runs batted in, 45 runs scored, 35 stolen bases and a 1.215 slugging percentage while leading Franklin to the Class 4A sectional semifinals.

Franklin center fielder Max Clark / Tyler Hart photo

With his impressive tools and smooth left-handed swing, Clark has drawn comparisons to Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, the leading candidate to win the National League Rookie of the Year award, as well as former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak.

Going into Sunday night's draft, most projections had Clark being picked fourth or fifth overall – behind the LSU duo of right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews and Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford. Some mocks had Clark being picked behind North Carolina high school outfielder Walker Jenkins.

But on Sunday night, Clark's name was called after the Pittsburgh Pirates picked Skenes and the Washington Nationals took Skenes' college teammate Crews. 

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Photos: Max Clark homers twice to lead Franklin Community past Mooresville

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Langford ended up being selected fourth overall by the Texas Rangers. Then Jenkins, a left-handed hitting outfielder who has signed with the University of North Carolina, was picked fifth by the Minnesota Twins.

Clark became the highest draft pick from the state of Indiana since Ball State's Bryan Bullington was picked first overall in 2002. 

The third overall pick in this year's Draft carries a slot value of $8,341,700, though organizations can offer prospects more or less than that amount.