Why Clarke Schmidt Is Trending Towards Significant Role With Yankees

It wasn’t too long ago that this hurler was the No. 1 ranked prospect in the Yankees’ farm system.

This pitcher, of course, is right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who is finally emerging as the promising young arm that the Yankees have been waiting on.

An elbow injury derailed Schmidt’s season in 2021, which slowed his development and path to pitching in the major leagues on a regular basis. But now he is healthy and showing exactly why he was ranked so high in the minors.

In his latest performance, Schmidt relieved ace Gerrit Cole, who exited after just 1.2 innings on Tuesday night, and shut down the Detroit Tigers across 3.1 scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 4-2 win. The 26-year-old allowed just two hits, while striking out six batters and issuing one walk. He picked up his first win of his career in this contest.

“It means the world to me,” Schmidt said afterward. “A lot of work has gone into this. To be able to get my first career win here is a very, very special moment, something I don’t take lightly. It’s a big blessing for me.

“Like I said, a lot of work has gone into it and you’ve seen the injuries and stuff like that, to be able to come back from that and feel as good as I do right now, being able to string together some good outings early on in the season and have some success and hopefully continue to keep that going throughout the season is a blessing. So, I’m just very thankful to be able to do that tonight.”

"It means the world to me."

The Yankees' championship belt is hanging in Clarke Schmidt's locker after lifting the team and earning his first-career MLB win. pic.twitter.com/LMn4uYfcok
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 20, 2022

Overall, Schmidt has tossed 7.1 innings this season, posting a 1.23 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. The righty has given up one earned run, struck out seven and walked four during this span across three appearances.

Schmidt’s pitch selection has been interesting throughout the early portion of the year, relying on his slider against right-handed batters (33) and throwing a healthy diet of sinkers (20) when facing lefties, per Baseball Savant. Schmidt has only thrown his four-seam fastball 14.8% of the time, with 15 of these coming against lefties and two of them versus righties.

Schmidt has been reliable across his first three appearances, which makes him a valuable weapon in long relief out of the Yankees’ bullpen. And if he continues to pitch this way, if he cuts down his walk rate (13.3%), the significance of his role will only increase.

The emergence of Schmidt makes the Yankees’ starting pitching depth stronger as well. And eventually, he could become a starter once more, thus transitioning into a long-term solution in the club’s rotation. For now, the Yankees must be pleased with what they’ve seen from their former top prospect. If he can sustain this success, it will only open the door for larger opportunities, and it appears to be trending in this direction for Schmidt.

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