Morten Clark
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Morten Clark was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for 6 teams, including the West Baden Sprudels. In 497 career games, he hit .236 with 427 hits, 3 home runs, and 163 RBI. He also pitched in 10 games, going 2-7 with a 4.22 ERA. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 130 lb
- Died
- 11/17/1943 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Full name: Morten Avery Clark
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 497 | 1,806 | 281 | 427 | 51 | 22 | 3 | 163 | 94 | 203 | 2 | .236 | .319 | .294 | .613 | -2,202 |
Career AVG .236 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 10.5% below league average.
Career OBP .319 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .294 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.
Career OPS .613 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — 10.1% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | WBS | WES | 7 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1911 | PG | EAS | 17 | 62 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .161 | .266 (-39%) | .336 (-33%) | .356 (-32%) | .693 (-33%) | -332.0 |
| 1911 | BRG | EAS | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | — | — | — | — | -332.0 |
| 1912 | WBS | WES | 5 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .105 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1913 | WBS | WES | 12 | 45 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 213.0 |
| 1914 | BRG | EAS | 33 | 121 | 21 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 0 | .248 | .255 (-3%) | .322 (avg) | .339 (-15%) | .661 (-8%) | -115.7 |
| 1915 | ABC | WES | 53 | 178 | 18 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 21 | 28 | 0 | .146 | .250 (-42%) | .318 (-15%) | .332 (-54%) | .651 (-35%) | -818.2 |
| 1916 | ABC | WES | 40 | 143 | 32 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 0 | .273 | .248 (+10%) | .314 (+14%) | .326 (-4%) | .640 (+5%) | 179.0 |
| 1917 | ABC | WES | 56 | 189 | 14 | 39 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 16 | 0 | .206 | .248 (-17%) | .312 (-11%) | .323 (-18%) | .635 (-15%) | -379.1 |
| 1918 | ABC | WES | 34 | 106 | 15 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 0 | .283 | .255 (+11%) | .318 (+10%) | .326 (+1%) | .645 (+5%) | 114.2 |
| 1919 | NLG | EAS | 8 | 34 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | ABC | NNL | 77 | 300 | 54 | 90 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 31 | 0 | .300 | .271 (+10%) | .331 (+10%) | .363 (-1%) | .694 (+4%) | 306.1 |
| 1921 | ABC | NNL | 65 | 244 | 51 | 61 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 37 | 1 | .250 | .286 (-13%) | .344 (+3%) | .395 (-13%) | .739 (-5%) | -122.7 |
| 1921 | NLG | EAS | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .125 | — | — | — | — | -122.7 |
| 1922 | ABC | NNL | 73 | 277 | 43 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 29 | 1 | .224 | .285 (-22%) | .345 (-12%) | .397 (-35%) | .743 (-25%) | -1043.7 |
| 1923 | BBS | ECL | 13 | 45 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | -203.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 497 | 1,806 | 281 | 427 | 51 | 22 | 3 | 163 | 94 | 203 | 2 | .236 | — | — | — | — | -2,657 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | WBS | WES | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3.18 | 2.79 (-14%) | -651.3 |
| 1911 | PG | EAS | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 5.74 | 3.37 (-70%) | -343.4 |
| 1915 | ABC | WES | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | ABC | WES | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18.1 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 4.42 | 2.83 (-56%) | -329.3 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 2 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 64.0 | 58 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 4.22 | — | -1,324 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Last 2 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921-06-13 | IN4 | CAG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-05-09 | IN4 | CB1 | W | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 14 | 6 | 19 | 28 | 4 | 4 |
| 3B | 27 | 23 | 32 | 52 | 10 | 0 |
| OF | 43 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| P | 10 | 0 | 6 | 32 | 1 | 2 |
| SS | 413 | 198 | 888 | 1106 | 235 | 120 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | WBS | P | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910 | WBS | SS | 6 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 1911 | PG | 2B | 7 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| 1911 | PG | OF | 8 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1911 | PG | P | 4 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911 | PG | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911 | BRG | OF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1912 | WBS | SS | 5 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 1913 | WBS | SS | 12 | 0 | 23 | 27 | 7 | 3 |
| 1914 | BRG | SS | 33 | 0 | 87 | 86 | 16 | 10 |
| 1915 | ABC | OF | 10 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1915 | ABC | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | ABC | SS | 44 | 0 | 86 | 128 | 31 | 13 |
| 1916 | ABC | SS | 40 | 0 | 79 | 130 | 24 | 16 |
| 1917 | ABC | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917 | ABC | 3B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917 | ABC | OF | 8 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917 | ABC | SS | 45 | 0 | 137 | 127 | 30 | 20 |
| 1918 | ABC | OF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | ABC | P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| 1918 | ABC | SS | 27 | 0 | 52 | 79 | 19 | 10 |
| 1919 | NLG | SS | 8 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 3 | 2 |
| 1920 | ABC | 2B | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 1920 | ABC | SS | 74 | 74 | 167 | 193 | 47 | 13 |
| 1921 | ABC | 3B | 18 | 18 | 23 | 37 | 6 | 0 |
| 1921 | ABC | OF | 5 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1921 | ABC | SS | 42 | 42 | 71 | 110 | 22 | 12 |
| 1921 | NLG | SS | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 1922 | ABC | 3B | 6 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 1922 | ABC | OF | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | ABC | SS | 65 | 64 | 130 | 147 | 22 | 20 |
| 1923 | BBS | 2B | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1923 | BBS | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BBS | SS | 9 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 10 |
| Second Base | 14 |
| Third Base | 27 |
| Shortstop | 413 |
| Left Field | 12 |
| Center Field | 11 |
| Right Field | 20 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Morten Clark: the record in brief
Morten Clark's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1910 to 1923. The team column moves through the West Baden Sprudels (1910 through 1913), the Philadelphia Giants (1911), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1911 to 1914), the Indianapolis ABCs (1915 through 1922), the New York Lincoln Giants (1919 through 1921), and the Baltimore Black Sox (1923). The bio lists Clark as a shortstop who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Clark is listed at 130 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. The birth record reads December 19, 1889, in Bristol, TN, USA. Clark's death is recorded on November 17, 1943, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Clark's full given name, per the bio, is Morten Avery Clark.
The batting record for Clark: 497 games, 427 hits in 1,806 at bats, and a .236 average, adding 3 homers, 163 RBI, and 94 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .319 clip and slugging .294, Clark finished with a .613 OPS.
Frequently Asked Questions about Morten Clark
- Was Morten Clark a pitcher?
- Both. Morten Clark pitched in 10 games, going 2-7 with a 4.22 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Shortstop.
- How many home runs did Morten Clark hit?
- Morten Clark hit 3 career home runs with 427 hits.
- What was Morten Clark's career batting average?
- Morten Clark batted .236 over his career, with 427 hits in 1,806 at bats.
- How many RBI did Morten Clark have?
- Morten Clark drove in 163 runs in his career.
- What was Morten Clark's career ERA?
- Morten Clark finished with a 4.22 career ERA, going 2-7 with 28 strikeouts.
- Is Morten Clark in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Morten Clark has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.