Leading up to the draft, nine out of 10 mock previews had the Yankees selecting a first baseman with their first round pick. Instead, they chose 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt out of the University of South Carolina — illustrating just how useless mock drafts are in general, regardless of the sport they are prognosticating.
Here’s the skinny on the 6-foot-1, 200-pound former Gamecock.
In nine starts during his junior season, Schmidt went 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA — striking out 70 batters in 60.1 innings pitched while holding the opposition to a .194 batting average and only 18 walks.