16. YANKEES: Clarke Schmidt, RHP, South Carolina
The younger brother of Tigers prospect Clate Schmidt, who pitched for rival Clemson and was also drafted by the Tigers out of high school, Clarke Schmidt didn’t have near the level of fame his brother had out of high school. A diminutive righthander who worked in the upper 80s, Schmidt went undrafted and enrolled at South Carolina. Pitching primarily out of the bullpen and in midweek starts, Schmidt had an inconsistent freshman year, but he blossomed his sophomore year, when an injury to staff ace Wil Crowe forced him into the Friday role. Throughout the course of his college career, Schmidt has added about 30 pounds to his frame, and this spring he was routinely touching 95-96 mph with his four-seamer and sitting comfortably in the low 90s. He also throws a heavy two-seamer, although his four-seamer shows good movement as well. Schmidt’s slider has developed into one of the better breaking balls in the college class, a strikeout pitch in the mid-80s with tilt. He also flashed an above-average changeup at times, with sinking movement to his arm side. Schmidt was putting together a first-team All-America-type season with the Gamecocks this spring, going 4-2, 1.34 with 70 strikeouts to 18 walks in 60.1 innings before he tore his UCL in late April and had to have Tommy John surgery. Before the surgery, Schmidt’s stock was steadily rising, and to some evaluators, he had inserted himself into the uppermost tier of college pitching. Schmidt could still be taken early in the draft, given what he showed before the injury and with teams less wary of Tommy John surgery than ever before. Schmidt is a fierce competitor with plus-plus makeup, staying home from summer ball in 2015 in order to be with his brother, Clate, as he battled cancer.
