WATCH: Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke goes viral for insane HR robbery vs Angels - Here's another stunning catch he made just 2 days ago

Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke had played just a handful of games after starting the season in Triple-A, but the 25-year-old has already made a name for himself as one of the most acrobatic players in MLB.

The rookie center fielder made a jaw-dropping play in Monday's game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. Clarke scaled the center field fence to rob Angels' Nolan Schanuel of a solo home run, leaving the players and the fans stunned.

While his gravity-defying home run robbery has sparked "catch of the year" conversations, it wasn't the first time the rookie made a spectacular grab in the outfield.

Last week on June 6, Clarke made a stunning grab against the Baltimore Orioles in Sacramento. In the fourth inning of the game, Orioles' Jorge Mateo launched a fly ball toward the center field fence.

Clarke tracked the ball at full tilt and grabbed the ball before crashing into the fence. The A's rookie ended the inning with the play, preserving the team's 4-3 lead, although he appeared jaded after the crash.

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Denzel Clarke credits mother for acrobatic insane acrobatic plays

Denzel Clarke's speed and agility has been there for everyone to see in his 16 games for the A's this season. It's fair to say his traits come from his mother, Donna Smellie-Clarke, a celebrated Canadian Olympics athlete. She represented her country at the 1984 Olympics as a heptathlete

“I like to say it did,” Clarke said before the A's second game of the series. “I feel it [rubbing off on me]. She’s legit. I practiced everything. Long jump, sprints and all that stuff. She just always wanted to keep me athletic. She was always taking care of business.”

While there is no doubt about Clarke's defensive exploits in the outfield, the rookie will need to increase his productivity at the plate. He is batting .200 this season with one home run and three RBI.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash