READY TO ROCK
Top prospect Schmidt strikes out nine in home debut with Trenton
TRENTON >> If Clarke Schmidt was auditioning to get the ball in the Eastern League playoffs, he exited his home debut in the seventh inning having left quite the impression.
The Yankees’ No. 5 prospect spun 6.2 scoreless frames to make sure the Thunder salvaged the final game of the series in a 4-0 victory over New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon at Arm & Hammer Park.
“He’s the type of guy where the hitters will tell you how good he is,” manager Patrick Osborn said. “This day and age we have a lot of technology that helps to evaluate pitchers and players, but Clarke you just need to watch the hitters and they’ll tell you this kid is really good.”
Schmidt dominated on a scorching hot August afternoon. The 23-year-old righthander held the Fisher Cats to two hits and struck out nine without issuing a walk. He shook off a leadoff double to retire the next 17 batters and got out 20 of the 23 hitters he faced.
“It’s kind of hard to describe, but when you’re putting the ball where you want to and getting quick outs, it’s a lot of fun,” Schmidt said. “The bullpen is kind of gassed, so I was trying to keep myself in the game and go deep in the game.”
Schmidt, the Yankees’ firstround pick in 2017 out of South Carolina, was coming off a soso Double-A debut at the hitter-friendly confines in Reading, but after that leadoff double he did what he does best and pound the strike zone with all four pitches. He has a reputation as a strike thrower and was on target with 61.9 percent of his pitches (92 total, 57 strikes).
“Work on the change-up/ sinker comb,” Schmidt said. “That’s going to be my bread and butter combo for a long time to come. That’s something I need to develop a lot more. The breaking ball has always been there for me, but throwing it for strikes and throwing it better for chase pitches is the key for me.”
He would have got through a full seven innings if he hadn’t taken his eye off the all and dropped a toss from the first baseman.
“Golly!” Schmidt said with a laugh. “It’s like I closed my eyes or something. It was like I was halfway to the dugout. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
No matter.
Will Carter got the final out of the inning and the Thunder (31-30, 69-58) held on to win the final game of the three-game set.
Trenton took advantage of some sloppy New Hampshire (27-34, 58-70) defense to score its runs. The first two came courtesy of wild pitches and Max Burt made it 3-0 in the sixth when he hustled to first for an infield single with bases loaded. The fourth run scored on a throwing error in the seventh.
But this was about a headline-grabbing performance from one of the Yankees’ best young prospects.
“These guys are talented hitters and they’re in Double-A for a reason, but you’re in Double-A for a reason as well,” Schmidt said. “You got to go out there and compete and go get outs. You got to trust your stuff and your abilities. I know how good I can be. I try to stay within myself, and regardless of who is out there, go get outs.”