William Nuschler Clark Jr. (born March 13, 1964) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 through 2000. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals. Clark was known by the nickname of “Will the Thrill.” The nickname has often been truncated to simply, “the Thrill.”
Clark played college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, where he won the Golden Spikes Award, and at the 1984 Summer Olympics before playing in the major leagues. Clark was a six-time MLB All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a Gold Glove Award winner, and the winner of the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award in 1989.
Clark has been inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. His uniform number was retired by the Giants during the 2022 season. Clark continues to be active in baseball, serving as a Special Assistant in the Giants’ front office
Will Clark Net Worth is $22 Million
Net Worth: $22 Million
Date of Birth: Mar 13, 1964 (59 years old)
Place of Birth: New Orleans
Gender: Male
Profession: Baseball player
Nationality: United States of America
What is Will Clark’s Net Worth and Salary?
Will Clark is a retired American professional baseball player who has a net worth of $22 million. Will Clark is best-remembered as the first baseman for the San Francisco Giants from 1986 to 1993. Known as “Will the Thrill” or “The Thrill”, Clark, a left-handed first baseman, earned MLB All-Star honors six times from 1988 through 1992, and again in 1994. He was the MVP of the 1989 NLCS, and won the Gold Glove Award in 1991. He is a two-time Silver Slugger (1989, 1991), and won the Golden Spikes Award in 1985. Three years later, in 1988, Clark was the National League RBI Champion. He finished his career with a .303 batting average, 284 home runs, and 1,205 runs batted in.
He also played on the U.S. men’s national baseball team, winning a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Following his retirement, Clark worked in the front offices of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants. Clark is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early life
Clark graduated Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up a Kansas City Royals fan and was drafted by the Royals in the 4th round of the 1982 draft but chose not to sign
College career
He attended Mississippi State University to play college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In 1983, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). A league all-star, he batted .367 and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2004. Clark played for the United States national baseball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. During the five-game Olympic tournament, Clark led the team in batting average (.429), hits (9), runs batted in (8) and tied for the team lead in home runs (3).
In 1985, The Sporting News named Clark an All-American and he later won the Golden Spikes Award from USA Baseball as the best amateur baseball player in the country. A teammate of Rafael Palmeiro, the two were known as “Thunder and Lightning.” Clark and Palmeiro were known to dislike each other, dating back to their time at Mississippi State.
Professional career
MLB Career
Will Clark was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the second overall pick in the 1985 MLB Draft. The left-handed first baseman earned MLB All-Star honors six times from 1988 through 1992, and again in 1994. He was the MVP of the 1989 NLCS, and won the Gold Glove Award in 1991. He was also a two-time Silver Slugger (1989, 1991). And in 1988, Clark led the National League in runs batted in. Clark had his No. 22 retired by the San Francisco Giants and was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. He is enshrined on the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame.
Clark finished his career with a .303 batting average, 284 home runs, and 1,205 runs batted in. After his playing career, he continued to be active in baseball in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office and serving as a Special Assistant in the Giants’ front office.
Career Earnings
During his baseball career, Will Clark earned a total of $54.2 million in salary. That’s the same as earning around $90 million in today’s dollars. His highest single-season salary was the $6 million earned in his final year from the Orioles in 2000. That’s the same as earning around $9 million today. Though, technically speaking the $5.6 million he earned in 1995 from the Texas Rangers is worth $9.66 million today after adjusting for inflation.
Personal Life
Will Clark married his wife, Lise White, in 1994. They had a son, Trey, in 1996, and two years later, he was diagnosed with autism. The couple later had a daughter, Ella. Will is a spokesman for Autism Speaks and Anova.
In 1999, Lisa had open heart surgery to fix a hole that had been undiagnosed since birth.
Louisiana Mansion
In 2007 Will paid an undisclosed amount for a one acre undeveloped property in a gated community in Prairieville, Louisiana. He proceeded to build a lavish 9,000 square foot mansion on the property.
