Clarke Schmidt
Introduction
Clarke D. Schmidt (born February 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is part of the New York Yankees organization.
Career
Schmidt attended Allatoona High School in Acworth, Georgia. He was not drafted out of high school and played college baseball at University of South Carolina for the Gamecocks.
As a freshman, Schmidt pitched in 18 games and made 10 starts, going 2–2 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.
The New York Yankees selected Schmidt 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.
Personal life
His brother, Clate Schmidt, played college baseball at Clemson from 2013 to 2016. Clate was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2015. He was drafted in the 20th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers and currently plays for Single-A Connecticut Tigers.