With injuries to Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodón, Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt are currently slated to take the fourth and fifth spots of the New York Yankees’ starting rotation for the beginning of the season. Schmidt was primarily used as a long reliever last season, but worked this offseason to add a cutter to his repertoire. How will adding a cutter help Schmidt become a more viable starting candidate?

If you prefer video walkthroughs, check out this video:

Schmidt’s 2022 Arsenal

Last season, Schmidt threw five pitches: sinker, fourseam, changeup, slider, and curveball.

When facing right-handed hitters, Schmidt primarily threw his sinker and slider, and rarely mixed in his fourseam and curveball.

In terms of location against right-handed batters, Schmidt used the slider away, the sinker in, the curveball low and away, and the fourseam up and in.

 Schmidt used all quadrants of the zone, and was able to use the east/west and the north/south planes to get right-handed hitters out.

When facing left-handed hitters, Schmidt used more of a mix. He primarily used his curveball and fourseam, but mixed in the slider, sinker, and changeup:

Last season, Schmidt was throwing the fourseam middle and up, and the curveball middle and low/inside. He is using a slider and sinker to the outer third, with the slider thrown backdoor. The changeup does not have a big enough sample to determine where it is typically thrown, but I would guess it is intended to be thrown to the outer third.

How Will Adding a Cutter Change Schmidt’s Pitch Mix?

Cutters are hard pitches. Some pitchers use a cutter as their primary fastball. Instead of riding like a fourseam, or running like a sinker, cutters cut and move to the glove side. In Schmidt’s case (RHP), the cutter will move away from a right-handed hitter, or in on a left-handed hitter.

Here is a sneak peak at Schmidt’s cutter:

Cutters are often used to help ease a platoon matchup that favors the hitter. As a right-handed pitcher, Schmidt has the platoon advantage against the same hand, right-handed batters. When Schmidt faces left-handed hitters, they have the platoon advantage.

Since Schmidt is already covering the outer half to lefties effectively with his other offerings, adding a cutter will allow him to throw to the inner half.

To help visualize this, let’s talk about another Yankees’ pitcher who added a cutter and saw success: LHP Nestor Cortés.

This was Cortés’ arsenal against right-handed hitters in 2019, before he added the cutter. Right-handed hitters have the platoon advantage against left-handed Cortés.

Similar to Schmidt, when facing the opposite hand Cortés was staying mostly middle and outer third.

This is Cortés’ arsenal against right-handed hitters in 2020, after he added the cutter:

With the cutter added, Cortés was able to throw in on the opposite hand. Since adding this pitch, Cortés has seen great success. There are other factors contributing to Cortés’ success (deception, timing tricks during delivery, etc.), but adding a cutter better equipped him in matchups that favor the hitter.

The goal for Schmidt is likely very similar: to better equip him to face left-handed hitters, who have the platoon advantage.

Do you think adding a cutter will help Schmidt?