Josh Schmidt: Potentially Solid Pickup
By Aaron Somers
As with the major league process, the majority of the coveted minor league free agents have already been acquired, and the process is obviously slowing down some as spring training rapidly approaches.
But not every quality minor league free agent has found a new home this offseason. One guy still on the market that could be a very interesting addition is former Yankee prospect Josh Schmidt.
Here’s a quick rundown of his career numbers:
433 1/3 IP
2.53 ERA
19 HR (0.4 HR/9)
181 BB (3.8 BB/9)
501 K (10.4 K/9)
Anyone with this sort of strikeout and groundball ability should be of use, right?
Schmidt is 29 years old, having spent his entire career in the Yankees organization after being drafted in the 15th round in 2005. He’s spent almost 200 innings in Double-A and has thrown 37 solid frames in Triple-A, so he’s basically big-league ready.
Why did the Yankees never give him a shot, you ask? Well, that’s the thing–he throws sidearm.
If there’s one organization that’s been hesitant to trot out so-called “trick pitchers” of late, it’s the Yankees. They never gave Colter Bean much of a shot, they wouldn’t even leave Schmidt in Triple-A even when he found success, and they don’t seem to be keen on doing much with famed switch-pitcher Pat Venditte. That’s not to say that there isn’t reasoning behind that decision–playing one’s way into the Yankees’ plans is much more complicated than forcing another organization’s hand, and for good reason. Still, now that he’s finally a free agent, Schmidt would be a nice pickup for a more open-minded organization that could use a dominant slider-oriented relief pitcher. Schmidt struck out 34% of right-handers between Double-A and Triple-A last year; one would have to think that’s at least worth a solid spot in someone’s Triple-A bullpen.
Schmidt pitched well in the Venezuelan Winter League, thriving as a starter in spite of his low arm slot. He had a 3.06 ERA and struck out a batter per inning there.
It’s not hard to imagine Schmidt contributing to a major league bullpen in a groundball/right-handed specialist role. In particular, moving to an NL organization would be a good fit for him. Keep an eye out to see where he ends up.
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