There's one concerning Tigers trend with Max Clark ever since he made his MLB debut

Max Clark's 12-pitch at-bat against Cade Smith on Wednesday night was a beauty. After going down 0-2 immediately, he dug in and bullied Smith into throwing him 10 more pitches before finally going down on a foul tip. Clark admitted that the outcome left him "pissed," but it was an admirable display of maturity from the Tigers' newest player.

Clark has been a fan favorite from the moment he was drafted, but he continues to ingratiate himself with fans one major league game at a time. Just 11 matchups in, he's hitting .289 with a .804 OPS, three extra-base hits, a homer, and seven RBI. He's striking out a little more than anyone expected, but we'll forgive that (for now). He's taken to Comerica Park's vast center field like a natural.

But there's a key part of Clark's game that's been conspicuously absent. Even with his 70-grade run — the highest-rated part of his toolset — he has yet to steal a base in the major leagues. He has yet to even attempt to steal a base.

The Tigers' 35 stolen bases put them plum last in baseball. They're solid baserunners — taking the extra base has become an intrinsic part of their identity — but they're not base stealers. On the whole, they're hustlers, not speedsters.

But Clark is. So why haven't the Tigers been letting him loose?

Max Clark has yet to attempt to steal a base for Tigers despite his speed

It could be a change in philosophy. Since the Tigers parted ways with third base coach Joey Cora, they've been pumping the brakes at third and not getting thrown out at home by a mile. That's a very good thing, but McGonigle also hasn't stolen a base since Cora was fired. Ben Malgeri, Detroit's fastest runner by average sprint speed so far, also has not attempted to steal a base.

Detroit's margin for error is very thin right now, and they may not want to tempt fate and potentially hand their opponents an extra out.

But they're going to have to unleash Clark at some point. If their cautious approach to running is going to stick as long as they're still living on a razor's edge in the standings, it might not happen for a while, but it would be a shame if they don't give him at least a slightly longer leash at some point this season.

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