MLB Draft 2017: Yankees select Clarke Schmidt with 16th overall pick

With the 16th overall pick in the draft, the Yankees have selected right-hander Clarke Schmidt from South Carolina. In mock drafts, Schmidt was projected to go 27th by Baseball America.

Over the last season and a half, Schmidt’s career at South Carolina was impressive. The 21-year-old right-hander racked up 199 of his 254 career strikeouts and had a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances in that span. Unfortunately, he had to have Tommy John Surgery in April, making his draft stock take a hit. When healthy, Schmidt can throw as high as 96 mph, has a plus slider and throws for strikes. He also has shown great makeup on and off the field and improvement in his strength before he got hurt. Though his durability will be a big question going forward, the Yankees will hope Schmidt can be one of those bargain picks that turn into an impact arm for them.

Check out some of Schmidt’s skills here:

For more on Schmidt, check out Chris Cotillo’s Q&A with him here.