Clarke SCHMIDT

Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt, who is in a spring training battle for the fifth spot in the rotation, takes a timeout for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: Why was Kobe Bryant so impactful for you?

A: So much of his mentality and the way he carried himself in his career, that fierceness, that Mamba Mentality, that always being on the attack. Being-where-your-feetare type mentality . ... His “Muse” documentary, I’ve probably seen it 200 times, just being able to just always rewatching it and kind of seeing that mentality and how he went about his day-to-day and the work that he put in is kind of the same way that I carry myself. I want to be great like that and I want to do great things in this game, and I think a lot of that has to do with your mentality and the way you carry yourself, and he was that perfect emulation of that.

Q: So you have a Mamba Mound Mentality?

A: Yeah, 100 percent, I would say so. Just kind of that fierceness and that fearlessness just always being on the attack and competKobe ing. You saw that with Bryant, he kind of had that face to him. That’s kind of how the same way I like to carry myself.

Q: You once said: “In five years I would say I see myself being the No. 1 for the New York Yankees.”

A: If you’re gonna play this game, especially if you’re gonna play it in New York, I think you gotta be confident, and I think you have to trust your abilities and the work that you put in, the preparation.

Q: Describe pitching in New York.

A: I’ve always loved pitching with the pressure on and the bright lights and when it matters most, I think those are the moments I kind of live for. It’s like growing up in the backyard, you visualize those moments, whether it’s your playing against your brother or something like that, and it’s always that 3-2 count, World Series, game on the line, and so I’ve always grown up with those type of situations where we would always put pressure on each other and try to come through in those moments. That’s probably the biggest reason I went to South Carolina for college, ’cause I knew it was one of the biggest schools in the SEC at the time, and I knew that was kind of a way to cut my own path and make an impact for myself and kind of put my name on the map and pitching on Friday nights in the SEC, and that’s kind of exactly how I feel about New York. It’s on a grander scale, obviously. It’s one of the biggest organizations in the world. I love being in the Stadium . ... Even on the road, it’s like every game that we play, it’s like a home game, we always have the biggest crowds and stuff like that. To be able to travel with so many fans and have so many pressure moments is something that I definitely live for.

Q: Will the pitch clock help you?

A: I think so. I’ve always had people tell me I’m so quick when I’m out there because I’m always grabbing the ball and going, and I always kind of have a quick pace of play to the way I pitch, and so I think it only improves it. It kind of encourages you to get back out on the mound and keep going at guys. I think it’s also a way that you can get hitters off balance. There’s ways that you can kind of toy with the clock and get in a hitter’s head. The more and more I’m out there, I notice that these hitters can kind of get uncomfortable if you’re continuing to go at ’em and they don’t have a time to do their routine and stuff, so I do think it’s definitely gonna benefit me.

Q: Why will your cutter be impactful this year?

A: It’s gonna be a big pitch to be able to get lefties out and get weaker contact against lefties. And then also, we started to find that metrically it’s such a good pitch, and it’s also gonna play to righties, too. Being able to show like two different fastballs, being able to sneak the ball in on righties and then also throw that cutter up and elevate it or down and away, being able to just show two planes. When a hitter’s thinking the ball is about to sink and next thing you know it just stays up or cuts just a couple of inches, that’s a big difference. When you’re talking about being able to miss barrels and kind of induce that weak contact and also get swing and misses, I think that’s the biggest thing for me. I find myself not getting as uncomfortable when I’m behind in the count, I don’t feel like I have to dot a pitch or execute a pitch because I always feel like I have weapons that I can get a swing and miss on or induce weak contact on now.

Q: So in your mind, you’re more than a fifth starter?

A: Yes sir, I believe so, for sure.

Q: How would you feel if you had to return to the bullpen?

A: It’s all part of my journey as well, so it’s like I’m not sitting here today saying that’s the only thing I’m settling for. I also think I can make impact in other ways. Last year I was in that kind of bullpen swing man role, I had some success with it, if that’s the role that they want me in again, then I’m gonna do that to the best of my abilities and hopefully do it better than I did last year.

Q: What makes Aaron Judge the perfect captain for this team?

A: He’s so engaging and he’s such a kind person, and it almost comes off fake like when you’re watching on TV like, “Is that person really like that?” But then when you meet him in person it’s like he’s like that and more . ... If you have a great outing, he’s the first person to come up to me and say, “Great job, your stuff was nasty,” and then if you have a bad one, he’s the first person to come tap you on the butt and say, “Hey, go get ’em next time.”

Q: What is the biggest adversity you’ve overcome?

A: Literally a month before the [2017] draft, I was in the midst of like a career year havbest ing the year of my life my junior year in college, and all these teams would tell me they were gonna take me in the top-10 picks, like top-five picks some teams were talking about, and then a month before the draft I had Tommy John [surgery], and when that happens, that was probably the biggest like, “Oh my gosh” moment in my life. As a young kid, you don’t know what’s about to happen. That was like the first time I faced true, true adversity in this game. It probably ended up being the biggest blessing in my life because I ended up falling in the draft, the Yankees ended up taking me in the first round [16th overall]. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the city, with the fans, with everything about it. I talk to my other friends and people that I came up with with other organizations, and it just means different when you’re wearing the pinstripes and you go out there every night in front of the biggest crowds in the world. Everyone has a Yankee fan in their family. You can’t find any more support than being with the Yankees.

Q: Favorite New York City things?

A: Nothing better than a New York City off day, like ripping around on a city bike going to either a museum, getting some nice food or shopping around down in Soho and stuff like that.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Theo Von [comedian], Kobe Bryant, M.J. [Michael Jordan].

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Wedding Crashers.” Q: Favorite actor? A: Matthew McConaughey.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Rachel McAdams. Q: Favorite singer/entertainer? A: Drake.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: My grandmother, my Nan, who is like an absolute Hall of Famer, she travels with us everywhere and all the games and stuff, she makes a Mississippi pot roast that is to die for with mashed potatoes and gravy, it’s absolutely unbelievable.

Q: Describe the mindset of this Yanteam. kees

A: I think we’re confident, and we have something to prove. It’s like we haven’t conquered that hill of winning a World Series, and that’s like the diamond at the top of the hill. We’re hungry for that. If I had to put one word to it, I’d say hungry.