"The wrong pick" - Tigers top prospect Max Clark rocks custom Adidas cleats featuring haters' comments

Detroit Tigers prospect Max Clark has a unique way of dealing with the criticism players face online on a daily basis. While everyone always has opinions on every decision a team takes or any event on and off the field, sometimes it's easy to forget that those involved can see what's being said online.

Clark has certainly seen some criticism since being drafted third overall in 2023, with some calling his selection a mistake by the franchise. Clark has taken some of the comments that stood out to him, both good and bad, and incorporated them into his cleats. The left cleat contains criticism, while the right focuses on praise.

One negative quote that particularly catches the eye reads:

"Max Clark was the wrong pick."

Clark shared some images of him wearing the cleats on his Instagram page.

Clark discussed his cleat designs, mentioning to MiLB.com that he draws inspiration from MLB stars such as Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr.:

"I kinda just like to go with the flow, depending on how certain things are affecting me or things that are important to me as I get older. I definitely want to have a (children's) shoe one day that my kids will design and kind of like draw up. That'll be cool. I think that's something that will always be important to me."

Tigers prospect Max Clark discusses overcoming difficult start to the 2024 MiLB season

At 19 years old, the Tigers feel Max Clark has a way to go before being MLB-ready, so he is playing with the Lakeland Flying Tigers this season. Clark didn't start the campaign in the manner he had hoped, and after going 0-11, the outfielder had a meeting with Lakeland manager, Andrew Graham.

Clark told MiLB.com:

"It's kind of like when you're looking at your shoulder when you're struggling, there's always that little devil on your shoulder telling you, 'You're not good enough, blah, blah, blah, you're not made for this, you don't belong here,' things like that.

"Then on the flip side, there's the angel that's guiding you to grind and figure it out and giving you the confidence to know that you belong here."

Clark recognizes the importance of confidence and positive thinking, and how they are intrinsically linked to good form. Now, after 30 at-bats, Clark has registered five runs, five hits and five RBIs, along with two stolen bases. The outfielder is batting at a .167 average and that could improve significantly in the coming weeks.

"It's been something that I've been not only thinking about day-to-day but really preaching to myself, how much I do belong here," Clark said. "And that's obviously made a huge increase in my play over the last week."

With fans keeping a close eye on the Tigers' prospect, his ability to overcome adversity should stand out as a real positive. Given the confidence Detroit's front office has in him, the future looks bright for Max Clark.