The Yankees are stuck at home, like most of us. So, they’re working like many of us do.
With players, coaches, training and medical staff spread all around the country, the team is keeping track of its pitchers’ indefinite offseason preparations via Google Docs.
“Whatever you’re doing, whatever you threw that day or whatever you were planning to throw that week, you put it in the Google doc and edit it under your name,” top prospect Clarke Schmidt told NJ.com. “[Pitching coach Matt] Blake or a pitching coach will check in on us. That’s the way it’s going right now. They put out a tentative throwing program that you can follow or you can do your own thing, whatever you feel is comfortable for yourself.”
Schmidt, who is currently home in Georgia, had put himself into consideration for a spot in the Yankees’ injury-riddled rotation by posting a 2.57 ERA in four spring training appearances. The 24-year-old and 2017 first-round pick said he’s been in constant contact with the team.
“They’ve been awesome with communicating with us,” Schmidt told the site. “There’s not like a two-day or three-day period that goes on where I’m not talking to someone with the staff, whether it’s Blake or it’s [head trainer Tim Lentych] or Brad Hyde, the strength coach. Everybody’s staying in contact. It’s just making the process as easy as possible because there’s so much unknown. It’s one of those things where any bit of information can help.”
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Schmidt has been lucky enough to be on lockdown with his brother, Clate, a former minor leaguer who has been serving as his younger sibling’s bullpen catcher. Outside of baseball, he’s doing what many of us are.
“Pretty much, everyone is doing the same thing, whether it’s watching Netflix or hanging out at the house,” Schmidt said of his teammates. “Everybody is keeping it low key right now.”