Clarke Schmidt

Clarke Douglas Schmidt (born February 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Yankees selected Schmidt in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, of the 2017 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Schmidt attended Allatoona High School in Acworth, Georgia. He was not drafted out of high school and played college baseball at the University of South Carolina for the Gamecocks. As a freshman, Schmidt pitched in 18 games and made 10 starts, pitching to a 2–2 win–loss record with a 4.81 earned run average (ERA) and 55 strikeouts. He became South Carolina's ace as a sophomore in 2016. He pitched in 18 games with 17 starts and went 9–5 with a 3.40 ERA and 129 strikeouts. Schmidt remained the team's number one starter his junior year in 2017. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2017. Professional career The New York Yankees selected Schmidt in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, of the 2017 MLB draft. On June 24, 2017, the Yankees signed Schmidt for a $2,184,300 signing bonus. He did not see any action in 2017 after signing due to the surgery. He made his professional debut in 2018 and spent time with the GCL Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and Staten Island Yankees of the Low-A New York-Penn League, going 0–3 with a 3.09 ERA in innings pitched between the two teams.