Tigers' Max Clark Responds to Criticism Over Wearing Chains During Game After Viral Video

Detroit Tigers prospect Max Clark isn't backing down in the face of criticism over his jewelry choices.

Clark, who went viral for wearing four diamond chains and missing two routine fly balls in left field during a spring training game against the Atlanta Braves on Feb. 24, released a lengthy statement firing back at his critics.

"I don't care what they have to say, to be completely honest with you. People don't know me," Clark wrote. "There's a lot of people out there that will do anything for some monetary clicks. I've been dealing with this since I was 15. It's a part of this game. It's a part of this process. And it's only going to get worse, obviously."

He added: "Obviously, I'm going to get more flack just because of the way I dress, but at the end of the day, I know I'm a baller, I know I'm a gamer, and that's what everybody else here knows. That's why I was drafted where I was."

Clark was selected with the third overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft and is currently the No. 10 overall prospect in MLB (and the Tigers' No. 2 prospect), per MLB.com. In 2025, he split the minor league season between High-A and Double-A ball, hitting .271 with 14 home runs and 67 RBI across 111 games.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch also came to Clark's defense, telling Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, "Max is being himself, and Max is fitting in perfectly on a really good big-league team in his first major league spring training. Our guys love him. I think people are incredibly unfair when they can criticize with no merit."

It sounds like Clark will continue rocking his iced out chains on the baseball diamond as he continues working his way toward a spot on the Tigers' major league roster.