One of the Yankees’ biggest injuries this season inflicted Clarke Schmidt, who missed multiple months rehabbing from a shoulder issue he suffered against the Padres. While he missed a huge chunk of the year, his return to the rotation has immediately made an impact on this team, and the right-hander has been exactly what they’ve needed. With his velocity and movement both being crisp, Schmidt allowed just two runs across his first two starts as the Yankees were able to walk away with wins in both games.
A candidate to get the ball in Game 2 after Gerrit Cole, the Yankees are watching Clarke Schmidt fit right back into a team looking to capture their second AL East crown in the last three years.
Clarke Schmidt Making a Bid To Be the Yankees’ Game 2 Starter
This season has been a mixed bag for Clarke Schmidt, who looks sharp as a starter but unfortunately missed a lot of time due to injury. That being said, the Yankees should view him as a serious candidate to get the ball in the second game of a playoff series with the way he’s thrown the ball, as he has a lot of attractive qualities for a postseason starter. His 25.9% strikeout rate and 0.89 HR/9 are indicators of his ability to limit damage contact and miss bats, a recipe for success against the loaded lineups you’ll face in October.
A key change he’s made is throwing fewer sinkers, as that was a pitch that often got him into trouble when he threw it too much. Over his last six starts, he’s thrown it under 20% of the time and has pitched to a 1.29 ERA and 2.97 FIP, seeing a notable uptick in his Whiff Rate. Among pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched, Schmidt has the ninth-lowest ERA (2.41), and it’s a massive improvement from what he was in 2023. The Yankees weren’t supposed to utilize him as an everyday starter in 2023, but injuries forced their hand, and it served as a valuable year of development.
It sounds crazy to say this when you remember how much he struggled that season, but Clarke Schmidt could be a deserving Game 2 starter for the Yankees in October.
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With the way that Clarke Schmidt is trending, I think he’s capable of taking on the mantle of being a Game 2 starter, and the Yankees could look at him in the same way. They haven’t moved him to the bullpen since returning from the IL, instead moving Nestor Cortes for a turn and now Marcus Stroman. While Carlos Rodon makes the second-most money in the rotation, Schmidt serves as a more logical option to follow Gerrit Cole given not only his success but the way that a postseason series lines up.
There’s a day off after Games 1 and 2 in the Division Series, and if the Yankees get there, they would be able to throw Clarke Schmidt in Game 2 and potentially have him ready out of the bullpen for Game 4 or 5. Carlos Rodon will likely not make any appearances out of the bullpen in an ALDS setting, and this allows the Yankees to utilize Schmidt in a variety of roles depending on what they need. If down 2-1 in the series, having Schmidt available to trail what would likely be a Gerrit Cole start could give them even more insurance late in games.
He’s someone the Yankees want to have available for as many games as possible in October because of how often he misses bats, and it could keep the Yankees in a series if they line things up this way. Luis Gil and Nestor Cortes could both be in the bullpen for all five games of an ALDS matchup, but if they have to use Schmidt in Game 4 then those two could figure out a way to piece together a do-or-die elimination game.
It’s both a matter of Clarke Schmidt deserving the title of the Yankees’ second starter and a strategic play, and he’s one of their most important weapons they have on their pitching staff.