Athletics' Denzel Clarke can turn into a star if he does one thing this year

The Athletics have a lot of fun, young talent. Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, and many others are some very intriguing talents who are either stars already or can blossom into a star.

But one other player, Denzel Clarke, has all the makings of a star waiting to break out. His defense is some of the best at any position in Major League Baseball. If he can do one thing, he could blossom into a star.

Martin Gallegos of MLB.com wrote that if Clarke can improve his offense, combined with his already incredible defense, the young A's outfielder can become a star in the Major Leagues.

Athletics' Denzel Clarke is close to being a star in MLB

"His elite defense alone will keep him in the big leagues," Gallegos writes, "But continued improvements as a hitter could make him a star."

Clarke's defense is among the best in the Major Leagues. He's got incredible speed, range, glove work, and athleticism to make the impossible possible in center field.

Strictly basing talent on defense, few players can compare to Clarke as a talent in the Majors Leagues right now. The same cannot be said about his offense. He hit .230 last season with a .646 OPS. However, he's shown flashes of star potential.

In the last 12 games he played before suffering an adductor strain, Clarke was hitting .333 with a 1.006 OPS. In that span, he also totaled nine extra-base hits, with one home run, two triples, and six doubles.

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While repeating that offensive success over the course of a full season isn't likely for Clarke, if he can fall somewhere between that hot streak and his overall season numbers and be an above-average hitter, then Clarke could be a star in the Majors.

The 25-year-old A's outfielder is one of the more exciting young players in Major League Baseball. He's on the cusp of a breakout, only needing to produce better offense to truly blossom into the star he's shown he's capable of becoming.

Clarke has the makings of a superstar. If he can maintain his great defense and base-stealing ability, and add good offensive production, he could be one of the best outfielders in the Major Leagues.

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