Schmidt is throwing a new split-finger changeup this spring, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Schmidt threw a changeup on only 1.5 percent of his pitches last season, and when he did go to the offering, batters knocked it around to the tune of a .429 batting average. The right-hander has since worked on changing his grip on the pitch, modeling the adjustment on Blue Jays hurler Kevin Gausman. Of course, the Yankees would be ecstatic if Schmidt's results are anything close to Gausman's, but even if the new offering brings less dramatic improvement it could help the younger hurler bring stability to the back of the team's rotation. Schmidt posted a mediocre 4.64 ERA and 1.35 WHIP along with a 149:46 K:BB last season, but he gave an injury-riddled staff 159 innings, and manager Aaron Boone said in late February that he is guaranteed a spot in New York's Opening Day rotation.