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Yankees draft RHP Clarke Schmidt with 16th overall pick

The MLB Draft is underway and the Yankees made a surprising move with the 16th overall pick, selecting right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt out of the University of South Carolina.

The 21-year-old was projected as a late-first round pick, largely because he underwent Tommy John Surgery in April. However, the Yankees clearly loved what they saw out of him when he was healthy, as they chose him over plenty of other, healthy arms.

Schmidt, a junior, was 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA prior to tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. He tallied 70 strikeouts in just 60.1 innings, and opposing batters hit just .194 against him. According to Scouting Baseball, Schmidt features a fastball which moves more like a “power sinker”, a slider, and a changeup, and demonstrated great command of all three pitches.

A native of Acworth, Ga., Schmidt went undrafted out of high school and is the younger brother of Clate Schmidt, who the Tigers selected out of Clemson in the 20th round of last year’s draft. Just three years earlier, the Yankees selected another South Carolina Gamecock: Jordan Montgomery.

Here’s some video of Schmidt, courtesy of Baseball America: