Clark collects five hits in doubleheader

Holding the bat like it's a golf club, Trent Clark hits scorchers that would make any golfer proud. The unconventional grip wasn't taught by coaches, but it's been working for the Brewers' 2015 first-round pick in his first professional season.

Milwaukee's No. 3 prospect collected five hits during Monday doubleheader for Rookie-level Helena, four of them in the continuation of Rookie-level Helena's suspended game against Missoula from Aug. 28. The Brewers won the resumed game, 10-3, and lost the nightcap, 6-0.

Clark collected four singles and drove in three runs from the fifth spot in the batting order in the first game. The left-handed hitter went 1-for-4 in the second contest out of the leadoff spot.

"He stayed on the ball well," Helena manager Tony Diggs said. "He used the entire field. Three of his four hits were to left or center field."

Clark is hitting .370 over 46 at-bats with Rookie-level Helena. He batted .309 in 43 games with the Rookie-level Arizona League Brewers earlier this season.

Although three of the hits came on Aug. 28, the box score marked the third time in his short career that the Fort Worth, Texas native amassed four hits. He belted a grand slam en route to hitting for the cycle in the AZL on July 9, and then amassed four hits on Aug. 29 in just his second game with Helena.

"Is it something you teach? Not necessarily, but it's not something we're going to change if he's successful," Diggs said. "The grip felt good in his hands when he first tried it. It's something that continues to morph and change into something more conventional."

Clark, the No. 78 overall prospect, won't even turn 19 until November.

"He shows, for his age, that he has a pretty good idea of the strike zone," his skipper said. "That's big. Most youngsters come into pro ball, and it's really difficult for them to have a great idea of the strike zone. He doesn't have a big swing, so he gives himself a chance to barrel up balls. He shows us flashes of what the scouts saw."

Diggs isn't concerned that his young charge only has two homers at this point.

"You can see as he gets stronger and understands the game even more, he can add some more power as well," he said. "I think most hitters will tell you the power always comes last. It's a matter of becoming a good hitter first, and he's well on his way. It's just about learning about the mechanics of his swing, so when something's going wrong he can fix it."

Diggs likes Clark's defense out in center field, particularly as he adapts to the thinner air in Montana. Still, the youngster will continue to refine his game at instructs, which will start up a few weeks after Helena's season concludes Tuesday.

"He'll work on everything -- defense, baserunning, hitting," the manager said. "He can't be satisfied with what he's done, because the game will only get faster as he moves up. He has to learn how to slow the game down and make sure he doesn't give away at-bats.

"All young hitters get satisfied with a couple of hits and try to take a bigger swing. I haven't seen that as much with him. I have seen him get a little complacent in a hitter's count where he should get aggressive. He's a little patient because he wants to work a walk or get deep in count."