HOUSTON — Even if Clarke Schmidt hadn’t refined any of his pitches over the offseason, Gerrit Cole thinks he’d be ready to take a step forward this year because of the way he’s pushed himself to overtake his career-high workload last season.
But Schmidt reached 159 innings and then continued to tinker with his repertoire over the winter in hopes of taking his game to another level this year, with an immediate test awaiting him Sunday in his season debut against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
The Yankees right-hander ran out of gas last September, his ERA rising to 4.64 in his 32nd and final start.
But he remembers Cole pushing him to fight, even though his body was tired, to extend the threshold of his innings so he could benefit later.
“He was a big motivator at the end,” Schmidt said. “He said, ‘Brother, you just have to make your body numb. Whatever situation you face at the end of the year or whatever you are feeling, just keep persevering. »
The reigning AL Cy Young winner, now on injured reserve with an arm (elbow) injury for the first time in his career, knows how much it benefited him when he was in the Schmidt crampons.
“From personal experience, I know there is no substitute for being on the field,” Cole said. “The longer you are on the field, the slower the game is for you. If he had the same equipment and locations as last year but had more mental experience, I think he (would) be able to maximize his performance. So not only do I expect that from him, but I think some of his stuff has evolved a little bit.
“Finishing the year healthy and throwing so many innings last year put him in a good place physically. You still have to go out and do it and it’s very hard and the league will counteract what he did. But he’s definitely in a position to make a real impact on this club for us.
The Yankees need Schmidt to take the next step in his second full season as a starter, especially with Cole out until at least the end of May.
Schmidt, 28, felt the difference this spring having a full season’s workload under his belt — not so much physically as mentally.
“Mentally…I learned more in the last year than I have in almost my entire career,” Schmidt said near the end of camp. “I just feel better mechanically and what I’m trying to do out there, I have a feel for how I’m trying to get guys out. But physically, I think at first it was a bit like getting over a hump, when I first started throwing. But after that, I feel good.
“I almost feel like I’ve weathered the storm a little bit. It’s like my body is ready to take off a little.
Then there are his pitches. Schmidt spent much of the offseason working on his sinker and making sure it worked better with his cutter, which he introduced last season and quickly became his most used pitch. He also tweaked his changeup handle to be more of a split changeup, which he may throw more this season.
Combined with better mechanics this spring – staying straighter and staying behind the ball more – Schmidt saw a slight increase in speed, which Cole was quick to take note of as well.
“I pitched (March 15) against Pittsburgh and I had a bunch of 97s and (Cole) came up to me afterwards and he said, ‘You’re about to feel the effects of a first full season in the major leagues,’” Schmidt said. “And how much it can propel me physically and mentally.”
New York Post
