PHOENIX -- Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Matt Clark has wasted little time reminding the organization of the promise he showed in a September call-up last season. Through the first six games of Cactus League play, Clark is batting .462 with six hits in 13 at-bats, including a double and a pair of home runs. He sports a gaudy 1.462 OPS through Tuesday.
"Anytime you can get going right away, it eases your mind a little bit," the 28-year-old said of his fast start. "You like to get out there and show people what you can do, especially when you're trying to make a club. Even if they know what you can do, you like to show them what you can do early."
Among those who have noticed Clark's hot start is Brewers outfielder Khris Davis. In 2013, Davis, who had only played 111 games above Double-A, turned a torrid spring training into a spot on the Brewers Opening Day roster.
"He's good. He's a good hitter with some good hands. He's got the power to go op (opposite field)," Davis said of Clark. "We talk hitting on the bench. He's definitely baseball savvy."
Signed by the Brewers last July after a stint in the Mets minor-league system, Clark hit .313 with 16 home runs in 53 games at Triple-A Nashville before being called up to Milwaukee on Sept. 2. He made his major-league debut that same day against the Chicago Cubs. In sixteen games with the Brewers, Clark hit only .185, but smashed three home runs and drove in seven runs as the team battled for a playoff berth.
Clark was a 12th-round draft pick of the Padres in 2008 and played at every minor level in their organization from 2008-12. However, in 2013 the Padres sold Clark's contract to Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. In his only season in Japan Clark hit .238 with 25 home runs and 70 RBI. He's also played winter ball in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The Louisiana State product acknowledges that his experiences abroad have shaped his approach to the game.
"I learned a lot seeing how the game is played in so many different ways," Clark said. "For example, in Japan everything is so precise and every hitter is under a microscope. Teams will spend a lot of time trying to find your weakness and then they'll exploit it. You learn and you learn to adapt to wherever you are."
Given how long it has taken him to get this far, Clark appreciates the position he is in with the Brewers.
"To come up last season and do some things well when the games really mattered in September and to be able to show this team that I can contribute to some wins gives you a boost of confidence," said the California native. "Then to come in this year knowing that the organization wants you here and you have a chance at a job, I've never had that. You just want to show everybody what you can do."
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke likes how Clark is handling the pressure that comes with fighting for a roster spot.
"He's a smart guy. He understands how to hit. He understands how to drive in runs," Roenicke said. "Last year he had a couple really big hits off lefties. In his career, he's always been pretty good against lefties. And he's a good defender.
"He's doing everything he can to make this team. Guys that come in to camp that know that they have to perform well to make the team, there's real pressure. I was in that spot as a player. If you can perform well under that pressure in spring training, I feel real confident that when it's on the line during the season, you're going to be that same guy."
For his part, Clarks knows he is fighting for a roster spot and understands what he could bring to the club.
"You always have an idea where you fit and I've talked to Ron a few times," Clark said. "I know Lind is going to play first base, but there's always a spot on the bench for a guy like me. A left-handed hitter with some pop, I can play first and I can play some outfield too. It's always good to have somebody that can get up there and intimidate a pitcher. I know my role. I'll do what I can do and see how it works out."
If Clark keeps hitting like he has through the first five games of spring training, things might work out all the way to Milwaukee.
