"According to Ralph Houk, Horace Clarke, 'does everything pretty good.' It's hard to tell where Ralph was putting the emphasis, but there's no denying how highly he values his second baseman.
Last was Horace's first as a Yankee regular, and all he did was lead the club in hitting with a .272 average and top all AL second baseman in fielding with a .990 percentage. A speedy base runner, he grounded into only five double plays and stole 21 bases. Horace, who hails from the Virgin Islands, is a first-ball hitter as his predecessor Bobby Richardson was, only Horace draws more walks. Like Bobby, he makes the routine plays consistently, but also comes up with his share of eye-poppers."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1968
"Second baseman Horace Clarke is a fast man. During his high school years in Frederiksted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, he starred in basketball, volleyball and track as well as baseball. As a speedster he's expected to play a big part in the Bombers' new offense which will take advantage of team speed to get an extra run or two per game by theft. Horace stole 21 bases last season, most by a Yankee in 10 years. This year Clarke will be urged to commit grand larceny.
Now in his third season with the Yanks, the 27-year-old second baseman took over when Bobby Richardson retired. Last year Horace was second only to Mantle in games played and his club-leading .272 batting average was good enough for twelfth best in the league. A switch-hitter, he accounted for 140 singles.
Mel Stottlemyre, who played with Clarke in Richmond in '63 and '64 is convinced that 'Horace will develop into the American League's best second baseman.'
Fast as he is, Horace has been known to lope around the bases. His first two home runs as a Yankee were grand slams. But he still rates as his biggest thrill a day in Toledo when manager Frank Verdi shook his hand and said, 'You're going to the Yankees tomorrow, Horace.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1968 Yearbook
"Horace Clarke, in his first season as a regular for the Yankees, after nine years in the organization, led the club in hitting with a .272 average and led American League second basemen in fielding with a .990 percentage- he committed only eight errors in 143 games. His 21 stolen bases also led the club- he was thrown out attempting to steal only four times. Horace grounded into only five double plays.
In 1966 Horace played 63 games at shortstop, then in 1967 took over the second base spot with the retirement of Bobby Richardson. His first two home runs in the major leagues were grand slams.
Horace is a serious, hard-working player."
-1968 New York Yankees Press-Radio-TV Guide
"Horace Clarke, at 27, one of the Yankees' able young veterans, is a man to watch this season. The slick-fielding second baseman has developed bat control and has become a highly competent leadoff man for Manager Ralph Houk. This spring, Clarke played exceptionally well, getting timely hits and looking and more like a coming All-Star. The switch-hitting native of the Virgin Islands topped all major league second basemen with a .990 fielding average last year. His .272 batting mark earned him top spot in hitting with the '67 Yanks, for whom he also stole 21 bases while being nipped only four times."
-The 1968 New York Yankees Scorecard and Official Program
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