Tony Clark

Tony Clark (born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and union leader. He played in Major League Baseball from 1995 through 2009 and served as the sixth executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 2013 until 2026.

Clark’s best seasons came with the Detroit Tigers (1995–2001), but he also suited up for the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres over his 15-year career. A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1996 and made the All-Star team in 2001.

While still playing, Clark served as a union representative. After retiring, he joined the MLBPA staff in 2010, later becoming deputy executive director and acting executive director. He was appointed executive director in December 2013, following the death of Michael Weiner, making him the first former player to hold that role.

Clark attended Valhalla High School in El Cajon, California, but transferred to nearby Christian High School after a dinner meeting with principal Ed Giles and others. In his senior basketball season, he averaged 43.7 points per game. He played college basketball at the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, where he led the Aztecs in scoring with 11.5 points per game in 1991–92. He left college without finishing his business administration degree to focus on baseball.

Over his major league career, Clark batted .262 with 251 home runs and 824 RBIs in 1,559 games. The Tigers selected him second overall in the 1990 MLB draft out of high school, and he played minor league ball while attending college and playing basketball. He debuted as Detroit’s starting first baseman on September 3, 1995, against the Cleveland Indians, collecting two hits in five at-bats, with his first hit coming off Julián Tavárez in the ninth inning. His first home run came on September 8 off Jeff Ware of the Toronto Blue Jays. He appeared in 27 games that season, hitting .238 with three homers. In 1996, he batted .250 with 27 home runs, finishing third in Rookie of the Year balloting.

His most productive years were 1997 (32 HRs, 117 RBIs, 10 errors at first base), 1998 (34 HRs, 103 RBIs, 13 errors), and 1999 (31 HRs, 99 RBIs, 10 errors). He was named an All-Star in 2001.

Facing salary arbitration and a projected $7 million salary for 2002, the Tigers placed Clark on waivers, and the Boston Red Sox claimed him. That season, he hit just .207 with 29 RBIs and three homers in 90 games, posting a career-low .291 slugging percentage. After the season, he signed a one-year deal with the New York Mets for 2003, batting .232.

Joining the New York Yankees in 2004 as a bench player, Clark filled in when Jason Giambi was sidelined by injury, though John Olerud eventually took over as the primary first baseman. On August 28, he hit a career-high three home runs in an 18–6 rout of the Blue Jays in Toronto.

After the 2004 season, Clark signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In a limited role in 2005 (349 at-bats), he hit .307 with 30 homers and 87 RBIs. In 2006, he played through a shoulder injury that later required major surgery, batting a career-low .197 with a .279 on-base percentage in 132 at-bats, and struggled especially against right-handers (.125). In 2007, he shared first base with Conor Jackson, playing 113 games and hitting .249.

On February 10, 2008, Clark agreed to a one-year, $900,000 contract with the San Diego Padres. On July 17, he was traded back to the Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Evan Scribner, waiving a clause that would have paid him $500,000 from the Padres if traded. In 2008, between both teams, he batted .225 with a .318 slugging percentage, striking out in more than a third of his at-bats (55 in 151) and hitting .198 against right-handers.

After filing for free agency, Clark signed a one-year, $800,000 deal with the Diamondbacks on January 2, 2009. On Opening Day, he hit two home runs in a win over the Colorado Rockies, and teammate Felipe López also homered from both sides of the plate, making them the first teammates to do so on Opening Day. Clark then slumped badly, managing just one hit in his next 18 at-bats. By May 6, he was batting .179 with a strikeout in more than half his at-bats. That day, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list for a lingering wrist ligament injury, which he had aggravated in late April after first hurting it during spring training. The injury left him unable to swing comfortably from the left side, and it was expected to require more than 15 days to heal. Josh Whitesell, hitting .356 for the Reno Aces, was called up to replace him. Clark came off the disabled list on June 19.