RADIO
Clarke Schmidt 2021 Outlook: Intriguing Sleeper When Healthy
4 years agoThe Yankees have made some noticeable additions to the starting rotation with Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon, however significant question marks remain with those players as well as over who will fill in the bottom of the rotation. Schmidt has just 6.1 innings of big-league experience but his stuff gives him a shot at reaching the ceiling of a No. 3/4 starter so he should get a fair shot at securing a role at some point in 2021. Unfortunately, he suffered an elbow injury at the beginning of camp and will most likely open the year on the IL before moving to the alternate training site to build up stamina. His three-pitch mix features a fastball that can hit 96-97 mph and all offerings have a chance to be better-than-average once he polishes his command. Schmidt's control has also historically been much better than what we saw in his brief MLB debut last year. His strong ground-ball tendencies — along with his ability to miss bats — give him a chance to be an impact arm for the Yankees later this year if/when Jordan Montgomery or another young arm falters or gets hurt. His ADP is currently north of 500 but he could be an astute waiver-wire pick-up later in the year.
