5 prospects who can help the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019
3. RHP Taylor Clarke
Taylor Clarke entered the season as the No. 10 prospect in the Diamondbacks’ system, and he got a three-inning save in his major league debut on April 20. He has been a starter in the Minor Leagues though, and has been called back up to start for Arizona Tuesday night against the Rays.
As expected, Taylor Clarke will start on Tuesday vs. the Rays, Torey Lovullo says.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) May 4, 2019
Clarke has a 6.12 ERA over five starts (25 innings) for Triple-A Reno this season. But two rough outings (13 runs allowed over nine innings) have inflated that, and he pitched five shutout innings in his most recent start last week.
Clarke does not possess top-end stuff. But he does throw four pitches at a reasonable level and has good control (2.5 BB/9 for his minor league career) with an acceptable strikeout rate (7.5 K/9 in the Minors).
He may only be getting a one-off start this week, but there has to be a chance Clarke sticks around if he pitches well on Tuesday night. And if does get sent back down to Triple-A right after that outing, he should easily wind up back with the Diamondbacks at some point before the season is over.