Mel Clark

Melvin Earl Clark

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School Ohio University
• High School Wahama High School
• Debut September 11, 1951
• Final Game May 1, 1957
• Born July 7, 1924 in Letart, WV USA
• Died May 1, 2014 in West Columbia, WV USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Mel Clark hit .277 in 215 games spread across parts of six seasons between 1951 and 1957. He is not to be confused with Mel Clark, a pitcher for the California Angels played by Tony Danza, in the 1994 film Angels In The Outfield.

During World War II (1944 to 1946), Mel served with the US Navy and was based on a destroyer in the Pacific. He was assigned to a landing craft and saw action at Iwo Jima, the Phillipines and New Guinea. After his discharge, Clark attended Ohio University and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1947. The Phillies assigned Mel to the Class D Appleton Papermakers that year, where he appeared in 41 games and hit .347. 1948 found him with the Class D Baton Rouge Red Sticks and again he hit .347, belting 191 hits. Mel reached the bigs on September 11, 1951, appearing in 10 games and hitting .323. He followed with a .335 average as a part-time player in 1952.

Mel's career was set back by a knee injury and, by 1955, he was back in the minors. He did return to the majors briefly for 5 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1957, spending the balance of the year with the AAA Charleston Senators, hitting .285. He closed his career in 1958 with the AA Birmingham Barons playing 140 games and hitting .295. Mel spent 12 seasons in pro ball, from 1947 through 1958, hitting .298 in the minors.

After baseball, Clark made his residence in West Columbia, WV, where he was in the insurance business. He died at 89 in 2014.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page

Related Sites

• Mel Clark at the SABR Bio Project
• Obituary