NEW YORK — Since making his big-league debut in 2020, Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt has been able to grow in the shadow of a giant.
Gerrit Cole — indisputable ace, Cy Young winner, possible future Hall of Famer — has also functioned as something of an extra pitching coach for the Yankees. That is particularly true for Schmidt, with whom Cole maintains a pseudo-big brother, little brother relationship. Schmidt, 29, has always been an eager learner and Cole, 35, a willing teacher.
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But this season, Cole’s and Schmidt’s mentor-mentee dynamic has entered a new chapter. Cole, long the rock of this Yankees rotation, is out for the season after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in March. Schmidt, coming off a spectacular though injury-limited 2024 season, is suddenly being counted on to fill some enormous shoes. Cole, in the early stages of his recovery, has hardly been seen at Yankee Stadium since Opening Day.
The spotlight has most certainly shifted.
On Wednesday, Schmidt made his first start of 2025. A nagging bout of shoulder tendinitis delayed the start of his season by a few weeks, but neither pitcher nor team expected that to be a long-term problem. And while Schmidt was not perfect in his season debut — 5 2/3 innings, three earned runs, two strikeouts against a scuffling Kansas City Royals lineup — he showcased the ability that has led to an increase of expectations.
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“We lost some guys with Gerrit, who’s hard to replace,” Schmidt told reporters postgame. “But I definitely have to step up. The whole rotation has to step up. I know that my job is to go out there and be as consistent as possible every five days and give my team a chance to win.”
Schmidt’s return came at a relatively important juncture in this young season. Entering New York’s three-game set against Kansas City, the Yankees carried a 5.40 rotation ERA, the worst mark in MLB. A humming offensive unit buoyed by the continued brilliance of two-time MVP Aaron Judge could do only so much to overcome a bevy of early-game deficits. The rotation, once considered a strength, had become a problem — or, at the very least, a point of discussion.
When Yankees spring training commenced Feb. 11, nobody — staff, players, prognosticators, fans — appeared remotely worried about the club’s pitching staff. That confidence, given the impressive outlay of arms in pinstripes, was understandable. Cole, one of the game’s true aces, appeared healthy and fully operational coming off an injury-marred 2024.
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Behind Cole, there were more reasons to believe. Max Fried, he of the third-lowest starting ERA since 2020, was the club’s biggest free-agent splash. Then there was Schmidt, fresh off a 16-start, 2.85 ERA campaign. Next to him, reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil. Even Carlos Rodón, the well-paid southpaw whose first two years in the Bronx fell short of expectations, entered camp with an optimistic outlook and a rejuvenated edge. And so, the biggest story of spring training Week 1 centered on Marcus Stroman’s seemingly superfluous role as starter No. 6 in New York’s game of rotation musical chairs.
But even the best-laid plans are no match for the roulette wheel of pitching.
Cole soon went down with season-ending elbow surgery. A lat strain sent Gil to a lengthy IL stint. Schmidt joined that duo due to his shoulder tendinitis. The Yankees’ Opening Day rotation consisted of Fried, Rodón, the nearly jettisoned Stroman, rookie Will Warren and 38-year-old veteran Carlos Carrasco.
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Entering Wednesday, Fried had pitched as advertised, allowing just five earned runs in 24 innings. But the rest of the group was a yikes factory, with an abysmal combined 6.43 ERA in 63 innings. Rodón has remained susceptible to the ill-timed longball. Warren has shown his inexperience, Carrasco his age. Stroman, meanwhile, was the worst of them all, with a cataclysmic 11.57 ERA across three starts before a knee issue sent him to the IL as well.
And unlike last season, when Cole returned from an arm issue in June to reenergize the unit, there is no knight in shining arm for the 2025 Yankees. Gil will be healthy at some point, but he remains a volatile character, an unpolished product who scuffled across two postseason starts last year. He’ll help, but he’s no panacea.
That leaves Schmidt, who, barring a return to form from Rodón, appears the likeliest to grab the No. 2 spot in the rotation. Against Kansas City, the South Carolina product trudged through a long first inning before settling in to great effect. Limited to just 72 pitches, Schmidt worked into the sixth, giving skipper Aaron Boone more length than anyone expected.
It was a mature performance, one clearly influenced by the lessons Schmidt has learned from Cole.
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“Throughout the years, I feel like I know my pitch package better,” Schmidt explained. “And you know, when I first went out there, when I was younger, it was like just going out there and trying to throw your best stuff. Now I’m reading swings, I’m learning, and it’s more pitch to pitch, and I’m just a lot more calm.”
After the 4-3 sweep-clinching win, as the Yankees packed their backs for a two-city road trip, Schmidt could be seen stuffing the club’s ornate player of the game championship belt into his duffel. Thirty feet away, Cole’s locker stood untouched, unoccupied. The ace won’t be back anytime soon, at least not on the mound.
Schmidt knows he can’t be Cole, but on Wednesday, he reminded everyone that being Clarke Schmidt might be good enough.
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