#561 Ron Clark - Minnesota Twins

Ronald Bruce Clark
Minnesota Twins
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175
Born:  January 14, 1943, Fort Worth, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1966-69; Seattle Pilots 1969; Oakland Athletics 1971-72; Milwaukee Brewers 1972; Philadelphia Phillies 1975

Originally signed by the Phillies, infielder Ron Clark arrived in the Twins organization via the Dodgers organization in two "unknown transactions" in 1962 and 1963.  He was a September call-up by the Twins in 1966, appeared in 20 games with the club in 1967 and played in a career-high 104 games in 1968, primarily as a back-up middle infielder.  Clark batted .185 in what could be deemed his best season, and made 17 errors in 273 chances.  He was sold to the Pilots in July 1969, appearing in 57 games and taking playing time from Ray Oyler (#178) at shortstop.  Clark then had abbreviated stints with the A's and Brewers in 1972 and 1973 before spending all of the 1974 and 1975 seasons back in the Phillies organization, and playing for their Triple-A team in Toledo.  He'd pinch-hit in one game for the Phillies towards the end of the 1975 season, striking out in his lone at-bat.  In 230 games, Clark batted .189 with exactly 100 hits.

1976 @wthballs
Not Really Missing in Action

Clark stayed with the Phillies after retiring as a player, coaching and managing in their minor league system from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s.  He was a major league coach with the White Sox (1988-90), Mariners (1991) and Indians (1992-93), before working for the Royals as a scout and roving instructor throughout the early 2000s.

Building the Set / Card #476
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.

Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables.  The aim was simple:  Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664.  In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 32nd of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me a less than a dollar.

The Card / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Clark's first solo card in a Topps flagship set, after he had appeared on Rookie Stars cards in the 1967 and 1968 sets.  The back of the card hints at the possibility of Clark seeing time behind the plate in 1969.  That never happened, and Clark never caught an inning in the majors.

Accuracy Index:  Clark's card earns a +5 for the accurate Twins depiction.

1969 Season
Clark made the Twins' opening day roster, but after appearing in just five games, he was demoted to Triple-A Denver.  The Pilots purchased his contract in July, and and he'd make 46 starts for the club - 29 at third base, 13 at shortstop and four at second base.  In Jim Bouton's Ball Four, Bouton called Clark a "tough, gritty ballplayer," and recounts how he needed 13 stitches in his lip after colliding with George Scott (#574) during a game.  For the season, Clark batted .193 with five doubles and 12 RBIs.

Phillies Career
Clark began and ended his career with the Phillies' organization.  He played in 39 games for the Class-C Bakersfield Bears as an 18-year-old in 1962.  On December 15, 1973, the Padres traded him back to his original organization for minor-leaguer Gene Martin.  Clark played the entire 1974 and 1975 seasons with the Toledo Mud Hens, splitting time as a full-time starter between third base and shortstop.  Promoted to the Phillies when rosters expanded in September 1975, he finally got into the 160th game of the year, on September 26th, pinch-hitting for reliever Tom Hilgendorf to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning against the Mets' Jerry Koosman (#90).  Koosman struck him out, and Clark's big league career was over.

Clark managed at each level of the Phillies' minor league system between 1978 and 1986.  His best season at the helm came with the Reading Phillies in 1980, when he guided that team to a 78-61 finish.  Notables on that Reading team included Ryne Sandberg, George Bell, Bob Dernier, Ozzie Virgil and pitcher Mark Davis, who won 19 games.

1967 Topps #137

1968 Topps #589

1970 Topps #531

1980 TCMA Reading Phillies #17

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #137
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1967-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Galasso 1969 Seattle Pilots #40
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  26 in the Beckett online database as of 2/28/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#560 Luis Tiant - Cleveland Indians / #562 Bob Watson - Houston Astros