A's Denzel Clarke nearly leaps over the wall for MLB's catch of the year

Perhaps you read that headline above and thought that, surely, it must be hyperbole. "Come on," you thought, "over the wall? How is that even possible in the midst of an MLB game? It was probably a great catch, but let's take it down a notch."

We don't blame you; people throw the phrase "catch of the year" around all too easily these days, and it does indeed defy belief that an outfielder would be able to cleanly hop an outfield wall as easily as he might hop a chain-link fence at a Little League park. But we're here to tell you that yes, this really is the catch of the 2025 MLB season, and yes, A's outfielder Denzel Clarke really did just do that.

Most home-run robberies come on wall-scrapers, balls that are just barely home runs at all (or, if we're being honest, were never home runs in the first place). But Los Angeles Angels first baseman Schanuel had himself a dinger by several feet, only for Clarke to Spider-man his way up and over the center-field fence at Angel Stadium. I mean, come on:

That's one of the most ridiculous displays of athleticism anyone has ever seen on a baseball field; Clarke had to halt his momentum from taking him over the wall entirely!

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A's outfielder Denzel Clarke left jaws dropped after outrageous robbery

Not that this is anything new for the former fourth-round pick back in 2021. Clarke hasn't been able to earn consistent MLB playing time thanks to his struggles at the plate (he entered Monday with a .561 OPS), but his physical tools have never been in question: He ranks in the 97th percentile in sprint speed, per Baseball Savant, and he's in the 97th percentile for range in the outfield as well. Clearly his vertical isn't too shabby either.

What does that look like on the baseball field? Well, like this:

He might well be the pound-for-pound best athlete in the sport right now, and he put every bit of that athleticism on display on Monday night. Schanuel couldn't believe it (that stare!); his own pitcher couldn't believe it, fully surrender cobra'ing on the mound; and everyone on social media immediately crowned it the catch of the year.

Who knows whether Clarke will be able to carve out a career for himself. Eventually, he'll have to be able to do something at the plate, and that's proved a challenge so far for the 25-year-old. But there are very few people on the planet who are capable of doing what he just did, and hey, that's something no one can take away.