Former Braves scout and executive Roy Clark dies

Earlier today, news broke that Roy Clark, who spent 25 years as a scout and executive with the Atlanta Braves had passed. He was 68.

Clark, who had most recently worked with the Kansas City Royals, was considered one of the scouts of his generation and oversaw the Braves organization drafting and signing numerous notable players including Charlie Morton, Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann, Jason Heyward, Adam Wainwright and Craig Kimbrel.

Dayton Moore, currently a senior advisor with the Texas Rangers, was a long-time Braves front office executive when became the Royals general manager 2006. Moore relayed this story about trying to hire Clark away from Atlanta after arriving in Kansas City in this 2022 article.

“John Schuerholz, being the wise baseball man he was and is, denied me,” Moore said. “I believe his quote was, ‘There’s no way I could let you have Roy Clark.’ I expected it, but I was hoping — John knew how strong our relationship was. But we’re very excited to have Roy with us now.”

After Clark’s passing, the Kansas City Royals provided this statement from current executive, and former Braves executive, J.J. Picollo:

“Roy Clark was not only an exceptional scout but a remarkable person who cared deeply about the game and the people in it. His passion and knowledge left an unforgettable mark on the entire baseball community. We are grateful for all he gave to the Royals and the sport he loved.” – J.J. Picollo, Royals Executive Vice President and General Manager

Clark attended the University of North Carolina and was a 24th round draft choice by the Seattle Mariners, spending four seasons in the minors – including two at Triple-A. After a brief tenure as a minor league coach with Seattle, he transition to scouting with the Mariners and then with Cleveland before he became an area scout for the Braves in 1989.

Clark spent 21 years with the Braves, becoming an cross-checker for Atlanta, then later the organization’s director of scouting from 2000 to 2009, before leaving the organization. Clark joined the Washington Nationals as an assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel in 2010 and spent four years with the organization, including the year they drafted Bryce Harper.

He spent the 2014 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers before re-joining Atlanta in 2015 as a special assistant the general manager and then as a senior advisor to director of scouting Brian Bridges, his former scout who was the the signing scout for a number of Atlanta’s high-profile draftees during Clark’s tenure in the same role.

Moore finally was able to bring Clark to Kansas City in 2022 teaming him again with Bridges, who was director of scouting for the Royals. Clark and Bridges had both been somewhat surprisingly let go by Atlanta in 2019.

The bond between Clark and Bridges was a close one, with Bridges telling Alec Lewis of The Athletic in 2022, “I never made a decision that I didn’t run by him. I trusted him with my life.”

After the new of his passing broke, there was an outpouring of messages on social media from those who cover the game and those in it. The common refrain was the respect for Clark both as a professional and as a person.