Tigers’ prospect Max Clark is the talk of the town currently in Detroit. He reportedly went viral on his spring training debut last month for his flair and flamboyance. And sure, those calls for attraction. With diamond chains on the neck, full-hand tattoos, and those colorful cleats, Clark offered a Jazz Chisholm vibe in his debut. But things didn’t go as expected on the field.

Against the Braves on February 24, Clark dropped two fly balls in left field. Even later in the game, he slipped into the foul territory and seemed to lose track during at-bats. Expectedly, it took no time for the insiders to call out Clark for focusing more on the brand than the game. However, he seems unaffected by the criticisms and landed again in hot water, leaving the fans stunned.

His debut game consisted of slipping off beyond the foul line and dropping fly balls, which could still be considered the newcomer’s error. But how Clark failed to save a grounder in the outfield is what has left the fans scratching their heads.

In the latest exhibition game between the Tigers and the Dominican Republic, Junior Caminero hit a liner in the second inning. The liner was nothing extraordinary and should have been a cakewalk for the centerfielder, but Max Clark made it a complex story. He made a stylish yet premature dive much before reaching the ball and missed entirely.

As a result, the ball went to the fence until another outfielder got it. But by that time, Caminero turned a single into a triple! So now the question is why Clark dived so early.

With the reasons best known to the man himself, Clark seems not to like the newly originated criticisms. “I don’t care what they have to say, to be completely honest with you. People don’t know me,” Clark said after his debut game. “There are a lot of people out there who will do anything for some monetary clicks. I’ve been dealing with this since I was 15. It’s a part of this game. It’s a part of this process. And it’s only going to get worse, obviously.”

So while he tried to douse the controversy after his debut game by taking an offensive stance, this time, the fans seem not in the mood to let things go unanswered.

Fans are calling out Max Clark for his latest miss.

Fans are wondering if Clark is more weighed down by the flair he carries. “Weighed down by the bling,” one fan said. “He’ll be a bust. “His head’s already too big, plus all those chains he has on—what a clown,” another added.

For the fans, Clark might be getting too loud and reactive as a new prospect. Introducing himself to MLB spring training with such bling and taking out the criticisms by the veterans like Jed Frye might be taking a toll on his nerves. Even if we notice the latest miss deeply, it seems like Clark was more concerned about putting on a picturesque dive rather than just taking the grounder. Hence, enough for the fans to think he is more weighed down by his flair and flamboyance.

“Chains are so heavy he was pulled down by their weight,” one user remarked.

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Although that’s pure sarcasm, Clark’s chains are surely over-the-top compared to those of Aaron Judge or Miguel Rojas. While both Judge and Rojas have necklaces, they stay inside their jerseys and are not a barrier in their free play. In the case of Clark, those 4 diamond chains dangle and look quite heavy. While that matches Clark’s personality, we are skeptical whether they are affecting his athleticism.

“He’s not having a good spring. Definitely needs another year in the minors,” one user commented. “Ya, Clark is a long way off from being an MLB outfielder. might need a full year in AAA,” another agrees.

Max Clark actually has some strong numbers in the minors. He has a batting average of .270 with 25 HRs and 53 stolen bases across 241 games. Thus, a bit more time in the minors could help the 21-year-old develop more for the major league. One spring season is too small a sample to evaluate a prospect.