New York Yankees Prospects: Pitcher Clarke Schmidt is saying all the right things (video)

If the New York Yankees can re-sign batting champ DJ LeMahieu, their next priority is to improve both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Many believe that the Yankee’s pitching has failed them for the last two years and prevented them from a World Series berth. After the season, the Yankees let Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ all walk, leaving a rotation filled with question and untested arms.

The Yankees will get some relief as Domingo German is expected to be back with the team. Before being suspended, he was the Yankee’s best pitching in 2019, going 18-4. In the Dominican Republic, German in winter ball started with a bang going four scoreless innings in his first game. But after that, he got pretty beat up. In five starts with the Toros and 16.1 frames, he has allowed 17 hits and 13 runs, with nine bases on balls and 18 strikeouts. He may have just been kicking off the dust, but it concerns that we will likely be the number two pitcher if the Yankees don’t pick up a quality arm before spring training.

The Yankees have to look forward to the return of their best pitcher in 2018, Luis Severino, but that won’t happen until June at the earliest. But there is the same problem with Severino as there is with German, “Sevy” hasn’t pitched in two years and the Yankees have no idea if he can return to form and help the team in 2021. The Yankees also have Jordan Montgomery, who pitched 44 innings after coming back from Tommy John surgery. “Monty” was inconsistent with an ERA of 5.15.

The leaves all the young arms that the Yankees have an abundance of. Deivi Garcia made his Major League debut late last season, Clarke Schmidt, Michael King, Abreu, Gil, and a few others.  However, all of those arms are, for the most part, untested in a full season of games. Plus, Garcia didn’t pitch particularly well in winter ball. One of the New York Yankee’s best prospects is speaking out and is excited to contribute in 2021 for a World Series win.

There is no question that Schmidt will contribute in the starting rotation or out of the bullpen at some point in the season.