South Carolina Baseball: Former Gamecock quietly becoming one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball

South Carolina baseball has had 60 players reach the highest level of the sport as TJ Hopkins and Carmen Mlodzinski were both called up to the Major League Baseball level during the 2023 season.

The Gamecocks have had more big-time professional players among the ranks of position players (1B Justin Smoak, 1B Christian Walker, OF Jackie Bradley, Jr., OF Mookie Wilson, UTIL Whit Merrifield, UTIL Steve Pearce, SS/2B Brian Roberts, SS Adam Everett, etc.), but a few young Gamecock pitchers have shown they have what it takes to be good MLB hurlers.

Arguably at the top of this list of pitchers is former South Carolina baseball ace Clarke Schmidt. After a promising freshman season at USC, Schmidt was an All-American as a sophomore. He came back even better as a junior but was limited to about half of a season’s worth of action due to having Tommy John surgery.

Even with his injury, Schmidt was taken in the 1st round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. Since making his debut with the Big League club in 2020, Schmidt has bounced between Triple-A and MLB and between the bullpen and the starting rotation, but a solid 2022 season saw Schmidt earn a permanent spot in the 2023 rotation.

In what has been a semi-forgettable season for the Bronx Bombers, Schmidt has been a bright spot. His 4.23 ERA isn’t special, but the former Gamecock’s effort each start has been one of the few consistent things for Aaron Boone’s club this season.

Schmidt is one of four pitchers in all of Major League Baseball this season with at least 19 starts allowing 3 or fewer runs, along with Sonny Gray of the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres hurler Blake Snell, and fellow Yankee right-hander Gerrit Cole.

Part of what makes Schmidt’s run of success so remarkable is that he is still building on it. On Tuesday of this week, Schmidt spun his 15-straight game with 3 runs allowed or fewer. During that stretch, Yankees fans have discovered that Clarke Schmidt is one of the most consistent pitchers in the game.

Schmidt has also given up 3 walks or fewer in every game this season, including 16 games with 1 walk or 0 walks allowed.

In short, Clarke Schmidt gives New York a chance to win every time out on the mound, and in an age of offensive baseball and shorter starts from pitchers, that is extremely valuable.

South Carolina baseball fans have long known what Clarke Schmidt is capable of, and now, so does all of Major League Baseball.