Opens spring in dominant fashion Schmidt tossed two perfect innings against Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game Sunday, racking up five strikeouts. Impact Schmidt is vying to be the Yankees' fifth starter to begin the regular season, and he made a resounding statement toward that goal in his first spring appearance. The right-hander threw 20 of 31 pitches for strikes and mowed down five of the six batters he faced. It's always wise to take spring training performances with a grain of salt, but Schmidt's outing bears more than typical significance because he heavily tested out the new cutter that he developed during the offseason. Per Statcast, Schmidt threw the pitch 11 times Sunday after not deploying it at all last year. If the early results (and his health) hold up, Schmidt could finally live up to the potential the Yankees saw when they used a first-round draft pick on him in 2017.
FEBRUARY 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE