Injuries have sidetracked the Yankees season so far, but one of their top prospects is showing encouraging signs he is not only recovered from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2017, he’s developing into the pitcher the organization had hoped for.
Clarke Schmidt, whom the Yankees picked in the first round shortly after the elbow surgery, made his debut with Class-A Tampa on Thursday and tossed five perfect innings, striking out nine.
“He was actually better than his line,” Yankees minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell said by phone of the 23-year-old. “He topped out at 95-96 [MPH] with a great curve and changeup and threw a lot of strikes.