The Brewers traded minor league first baseman Wes Clarke to the Astros, reports Francys Romero. He was not on the Brewers’ 40-man roster and will not occupy a roster spot with Houston. It’s not clear what Milwaukee received in exchange, though most trades of this nature are typically for cash considerations.
Clarke, 25, was a 10th-round draftee in 2021. A college catcher at South Carolina, he has moved off the position to full-time first base/designated hitter work this year. Clarke showed big power in college and hit 26 home runs in Double-A two seasons ago. He ranked among Milwaukee’s top 20 prospects at Baseball America going into the ’24 campaign as a result. His stock has dropped since then, as his already high strikeout rates reached untenable levels since he was promoted to Triple-A Nashville.
The righty-hitting Clarke posted a .243/.340/.458 mark with 18 homers in 87 contests last year. That’s a solid enough slash line, but he struck out in more than 35% of his plate appearances. Clarke has slightly improved the strikeout rate this year (30.2%) but has dropped to a .216/.352/.358 slash with six longballs in 182 trips to the dish. His exit velocities aren’t much different from last season, so perhaps the Astros feel he’s been a bit unlucky on batted balls. Clarke has plus power and an extremely patient approach, but the swing-and-miss and limited defensive value make for a difficult profile.
