Chad Holbrook sat across from Clark Schmidt and told him the worst news. The results of an MRI on Schmidt’s elbow revealed a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. He will need Tommy John surgery. He will be sidelined for at least a year.
That was in April 2017.
Within two months, Schmidt, then a highly regarded rookie at the University of South Carolina, was hoping to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft, guaranteeing him millions of dollars and a chance to pursue his childhood dream of playing in the NBA. Specialties.
But at that moment?
“The kid was crushed,” said Holbrook, who was then South Carolina’s head coach.
Except Schmidt’s head didn’t stay down for long. Holbrook recalled meeting up again with the 21-year-old in the team’s clubhouse less than an hour later.
The look on his face has changed. His eyes were dry.
“It’s OK,” Schmidt told Holbrooke. “I’ll attack this thing and I’ll be fine.”
Seven years later, Schmidt has proven his words that day true time and time again, and he will try to do so again when he takes over for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Thursday.
Clark Schmidt was optioned to start Game 3 on Thursday, where he could help keep the Yankees out of the World Series. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
If the Yankees win, they will go 3-0 with one win standing between them and reach their first World Series since 2009. That would likely mean Schmidt played a major role, underscoring the Yankees’ confidence in the pick. He was ranked 16th overall and given a $2,184,300 bonus, though there was no guarantee he would regain the level he had in college before Tommy John.
The Yankees understood the risk they were taking by investing a high-level pick in an injured player, said Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ director of amateur scouting. But Schmidt’s personality amazed them.
The Yankees began scouting Schmidt when he was in high school in Georgia and saw a jump in his ability in his second year. The more they got to know him, the more they liked him. Schmidt appears to come from a supportive family, as his father, Dwight, was a Marine Corps pilot. His older brother, Clete, who played at Clemson and in the minor leagues, beat cancer. The Yankees’ mental skills coach put a high mark on his formula: “elite,” Oppenheimer said.
“(Schmidt) was really positive,” Oppenheimer added. “That was the thing that stood out. Knowing what we had before the surgery, knowing the man, that we were able to do, you just knew this guy was going to put in all the work it takes for a guy to come back from something like this — and he’s going to be better.”
It was his mentality (and) the way he talked to you. He was kind of a gentleman when he talked to you.
Holbrooke saw it, too. He coached several pitchers who reached the major leagues and even played for the Yankees, including Andrew Miller, Jordan Montgomery, and Adam Warren. While many Division I players have great talent, work ethic can be the deciding factor, Holbrook said. Schmidt had that to spare.
And he had courage. Holbrook’s favorite memory of Schmidt was watching him dominate Auburn in 2017. That was a Saturday, and the night before, Casey Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers, had beaten South Carolina. When Schmidt pitched the next day, he tore through Auburn, throwing eight scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters. Holbrook said Schmidt wanted to prove that Miz wasn’t the only prospect to be excited about.
“Probably one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever seen from a pitcher and I’ve been around some good ones,” said Holbrook, who is now the head coach at the College of Charleston.
Clark Schmidt quickly emerged as one of the best pitchers in college baseball, due in part to his work ethic. (Tony Farlow/Four Seam Images via AP Images)
Oppenheimer remembers watching Schmidt blast Vanderbilt hitters with as many as 11 hits in seven innings that same season. After the game, Oppenheimer called Vanderbilt’s coach and asked him what hitters were saying about Schmidt.
“They were like, ‘Oh, we couldn’t see the baseball.’” “There was deception,” Oppenheimer recalled. The fastball was getting to the guys. They couldn’t take him. That was one of those starts that made him say, ‘This guy is an upper-to-middling first-round pick.’ Then he was beaten. After that, it was lucky for us.”
For Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Schmidt’s confidence was evident the first time he got a good look at him. It was the summer of 2020. The coronavirus pandemic meant the Yankees had to practice in the Bronx without a fan in the stands in July before Opening Day three weeks later. Schmidt had not yet pitched in the major leagues but his abilities rivaled those of anyone on the Yankees at the time.
“He had a presence and a swagger to him,” Boone said. “He’s never had that.”
Last season, Schmidt established himself in the Yankees’ rotation, making 32 appearances. This season, he has been one of the best rookies in the major leagues. Schmidt went 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in his first 11 games before a right lat strain put him on the IL for three months. When he returned, he went 0-2 with a 3.65 ERA in five starts, and the Yankees used him to start Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals on the road. They chose him over Rookie of the Year candidate Luis Gil because they had a feeling for Schmidt.
While Gill may have some of the best stuff in baseball, Schmidt seemed prepared to handle a hostile environment with a lot at stake. You succeeded. The Yankees won and Schmidt lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up just two earned runs.
When Schmidt was asked what gives him the pride that Boone exclaims, he pointed to his Christian faith. Then he pointed to what Oppenheimer and Holbrook identified in him years ago: work ethic.
“I trust myself,” Schmidt said.
He said he can’t wait to have the opportunity to silence what is expected to be a rowdy crowd in Cleveland on Thursday.
“Playing on the road with fans at your throat, it’s fun to have the ability to shush them whenever you want to get the job done,” he said.
It’s not unlike the way Schmidt silenced any doubts he had after learning he would need major surgery just as he was about to begin his MLB career.
“It was an overwhelming moment but he took it like a rock,” Holbrook said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
(Top photo of Schmidt’s monument at the ALDS: Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
