Clarke Schmidt thriving as 'Swiss Army Knife' with Yankees

Most baseball players fantasize about playing in the playoffs when they’re young. Whether it’s scoring the winning run, throwing the last strike, or dogpiling on the mound, it’s something they dream of doing.

Even now as a big leaguer, it’s been hard for Clarke Schmidt to not have these same thoughts. With the New York Yankees inching closer to clinching a playoff spot, he may get to pitch in October.

“It’s one of those things where I try to block out whatever’s going on,” Schmidt said in an exclusive interview with GamecockCentral. “I always try to stay kind of grounded in what I’m doing right now and focus on the things that are kind of happening right now or in the immediate future.”

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Schmidt, a right-handed pitcher for South Carolina baseball from 2015-17, is making a case to be on the Yankees’ playoff roster. Manager Aaron Boone has noticed that Schmidt is willing to do it all on the mound.

“The one thing with Clarke is he doesn’t lack for confidence,” Boone said in August. “Whatever role you throw him in, he expects that he’s going to do well and he’s prepared for it.”

With an already established starting rotation, he’s been pitching primarily out of the bullpen this season. In 23 games, he owns a 2.82 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 20 walks. Opponents are batting .224 with three homers.

In addition, he’s developed a nice pitch repertoire, turning his slider into his go-to pitch. Opponents are whiffing at a 42.6 percent clip when he’s thrown that pitch this season, according to PitchingBot.

This has been the first year that Schmidt, 26, has consistently received opportunities with the big league club. Previously, he only pitched in 12.2 innings with a 6.64 ERA between 2020-21.

He said he’s enjoying being one of the younger arms helping the Yankees win games and make a push for a World Series title.

“We’ve called up a lot more younger guys this year, I feel like that kind of made an immediate impact,” Schmidt said. “And so, to be a part of that group has been a lot of fun.”

It hasn’t always been this way for the former Gamecock, though. Schmidt was sent down to the minor leagues on three occasions this year. He would bounce between those ranks and the big league club. The Yankees can only carry so many pitchers on their roster, which resulted in Schmidt as the odd man out.

“(The Yankees) made sure to emphasize when I did get sent down, that it wasn’t due to results, or that I didn’t belong,” Schmidt said. “So, it was just one of those things where sometimes it’s a numbers game and you fall victim to that.”

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Schmidt hasn’t been the only Yankee to go through this experience this year. Similarly, 27-year-old reliever Ron Marinaccio, went down to the minors an equal number of times.

“It’s been good to have someone to go through all these things with,” Schmidt said. “There’s a lot that comes with being a Major League Baseball player. And there’s even more that comes with being a Yankee. And so to be around with him, and being one of the young guys to hang out and spend a lot of time with, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Not letting any setbacks get to him, Schmidt saw it as an opportunity to work out as a starter.

In eight starts with the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders, Schmidt went 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 46 strikeouts.

His most recent stint with the minor league club was his best. He fired six no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts against the Worcester Red Sox on Aug. 11, which landed him back in the majors not long after.

“It makes it a lot easier to go down there and not have to have any extra pressure to go out there and perform,” Schmidt said. “It was one of those things where I was just able to go out there and do my job and continue to pitch the way I’ve been pitching all year.”

Since coming back up, Boone has used Schmidt in a variety of roles. As injuries arose, he made a pair of starts during a recent 10-game road trip. Once starters returned healthily, he slid back into the bullpen where he’s been going multiple innings.

“They’ve kind of helped instill that into me and put me in pressure situations and put me in big situations,” Schmidt said. “To be able to come through for them and help this team has been a big thing.”

Whether he’s starting or relieving, Schmidt made it clear he’s happy to do anything the team asks of him.

“There’s just a big difference in the way you got to go about it from starting to relieving, but in the end, you got to get guys out,” Schmidt said. “That’s been the number one thing is just focusing on getting dudes out and not worrying about the other stuff. Whatever role they need me in, it’s been fun to be that Swiss Army Knife to be able to do multiple roles and get guys out in different ways.”

With 16 games to go, the Yankees sit atop the American League East, 5.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. Over the next few weeks, Schmidt could help the team pop open champagne and prepare for a playoff run.

For now, though, Schmidt’s not overly worried about what that may look like. He’s been persistent about winning one game at a time and controlling what he can control.

“It’s something I’m looking forward to and something I’ve worked my whole life towards,” Schmidt said. “But for right now, just kind of continuing to focus on what I have in front of me right now. And that’s day-to-day and going out there and getting guys out.”

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