4 Yankees players taking the most advantage of 2024 spring training

Clarke Schmidt

A lesser man than Clarke Schmidt would've heard the name "Blake Snell" reverberating in his ear canals every time he took the mound like a drunken war chant.

Schmidt, in direct opposition to the buzz claiming he isn't good enough, has arguably looked like the most comfortable Yankees starter of their quintet.

Quibble with the rotation's lack of depth if you'd like. That's perfectly valid. Worry about Carlos Rodón's ability to compete every fifth, sixth or seventh day without his best fastball. Signing Snell would've been an interesting (and high-profile) solution to the Yankees' developing depth conundrum. But there is no reason to slander Schmidt as a result of fears about the rest of the rotation, and coming off his career-high (by miles) in innings pitched, the only current worry should be that Yankee fans might not get to enjoy enough of Schmidt this season.

Of course, how did he follow up his first two excellent outings? Getting rocked by the Braves' starters on Sunday. Even the Yankees' most impressive starter in camp needed a baptism like the rest of his rotation mates, we guess. If you'd like to mentally sub in Marcus Stroman here, we get it. But we already knew what we were getting from him, when healthy. Schmidt carving up the opposition has mostly been a much-needed distraction, though he could still stand to miss more bats.