The New York Yankees were extremely close to pulling the trigger on a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks to bring lefty Robbie Ray to the Bronx. The Yankees declined the offer at that final moment due to their refusal to trade former first-round pick, Clarke Schmidt. The deal would have included Schmidt and Clint Frazier along with other prospects in exchange for Ray before the deadline.
The New York Yankees have a good one in Clarke Schmidt:
Clark was promoted to double-A Tampa on Thursday. According to NJ.com, Tampa Bay Tarpons manager Aaron Tolbert explained why the young righty has the potential to be a quality pitcher for the Yankees at the top level. MLB Pipeline ranks Schmidt as the Yankees’ No. 5 overall prospect.
“He’s got some pretty devastating stuff,†the manager said. “A nice little arsenal of pitches that blend really well with each other.â€
While the Yankees top minor-league pitcher is Deivi Garcia, Schmidt is another high-quality option the Yankees will be looking to develop and utilizing in the future. Drafted 16th overall in 2017 out of the University of South Carolina, Schmidt was forced to overcome Tommy John surgery but earned a spot with the Yankees farm system anyway.
In 13 games at High-A this season, Schmidt went 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA. He is very good at forcing ground balls and weak contact, and he is proficient in strikeouts, earning 69 over 63 1/3 innings.
His variety of pitches gives him the ability to change his approach towards different batters. As Alex Rodriguez stated a few weeks ago, being a good pitcher requires multiple quality grips and the ability to set hitters up and keep them guessing.
“Clean delivery,†Holbert, said to NJ.com. “Ability to command multiple pitches. I see him sticking in the starter’s role.â€
Utilizing all of your options in the first at-bat is not the right way to go about succeeding on the mound. Schmidt understands that reality and has begun developing that part of his game.