clarke schmidt

The New York Yankees’ pitchers are using a Google Docs file to update their activities

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees may be stuck at home, like the rest of us, but that doesn’t mean they are not working or preparing for a hypothetical start of the season, whether it is in May, June, July or August.

Pitching coaches and coordinators, led by newcomer Matt Blake, are certainly not resting and not letting their pitchers relax too much. Instead, they are using a simple, but useful technology resource to keep the whole staff connected and updated with everybody’s progress and activities.

Yes, the players and coaches are all spread around the United States, but the Yankees are using a Google Docs file to keep track of their pitchers and their exact offseason activities and preparations.

The Yankees keep preparing for the season

According to pitching prospect Clarke Schmidt, “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.”

“[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.”

With rumors about the season starting in May with all teams playing games in Arizona, there is a chance that teams play lots of doubleheaders. That would mean expanded rosters, which may result in us seeing a lot from Schmidt and young guns like Jonathan Loaisiga, Mike King, Nick Nelson, Ben Heller, and other talented hurlers from the New York Yankees.

That being the case, the Yankees may need to keep their Google Docs file updated with regular activity. The organization could need contributions from several unexpected places and sources.

“They’ve been awesome with communicating with us,” Schmidt said to NJ.com. “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.”

Yankees News/Rumors: David Hale we love you, Clarke Schmidt, Anthony Volpe, and more

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New York Yankees, Clarke Schmidt

David Hale still a Yankee!

Yesterday, I, along with many others who report on the New York Yankees, reported that Yankee reliever David Hale had been cut, although it was true Hale is still a Yankee.  Hale had an opt-out in his minor league contract at the end that could have been exercised four days before the end of spring training.  With spring training shut down, the opt-out became moot.   So the story was accurate, the Yankees did release him, but the news didn’t catch up that he had been immediately re-signed.

Meanwhile, Hale is at his home in Georgia, trying to stay in shape for an eventual re-start of the season.  Being that this was paperwork only matter, Hale was temporarily shaken when he started to get texts from friends about his release.  His manager explained it all, and all is good.  Hale may start in the minors when the season starts, but could also be used in the bigs for a multi-inning reliever at some point in the season.

Clarke Schmidt made his point

Deivi Garcia went into spring training at the Yankees number one pitching prospect, and wanted to solidify that position.  That did not happen; in fact, the New York Yankees announced that Garcia would be demoted to the Trenton Thunder.  Clark Schmidt, on the other hand, also considered a top pitching prospect proved to the Yankee brass that he was the man.

The 24-year-old Schmidt really opened eyes during the shortened spring training. Before Schmidt’s signing in 2017, he had Tommy John surgery. In his two years in the minors, he had posted a respectable 3.39 ERA in 27 games.  During spring training, he pitched beautifully in his two-game allotment due to the shortened camp.  In his second outing scouts remarked:

“It was his [second] big league game and it’s spring training, but when you can throw the breaking ball behind in the count for strikes, you have a chance to be really good,’’ the scout said of Schmidt, who worked two scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out three and didn’t issue a walk. “You can see him as a keeper.’’

Obviously Schmidt was trying to elbow his way into starts at Yankee Stadium due to the pitching shortage caused by back surgery to James Paxton and the Tommy John surgery on Luis Severino.  With the shortened season and James Paxton to return sooner than expected, that will likely not happen.  He also has not pitched about the double-A level.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him flash his stuff at some point during the season, especially if there are injuries in the rotation.

Anthony Volpe and spring training

In a really messed up spring training caused by the coronavirus, Anthony Volpe got a taste of playing with the big guys.  When a minor league tested positive for the virus, all the minor leaguers were guaranteed.

The 18-year-old passed up on a scholarship to Vanderbilt and signed with the New York Yankees.  Last season he slashed a .215/.341/.704 line.  But for the month before his season was shortened by mono, he hit .318. Volpe got to play in one game at Gorge M. Steinbrenner Field this spring.  Disappointed by the sudden shutdown of camp, he returned to his home in New Jersey when the minor league quarantine was lifted.

“In the grand scheme of things, compared to other people, we didn’t have it that bad,’’ Volpe told The New York Post. “Pray for the people who are sick and all the doctors and the nurses and everyone who are putting themselves at risk.’’

Yankee manager Aaron Boone says yes to a baseball season

The New York Yankees Field Manager Aaron Boone is at his Greenwich, CT. home trying to prepare for what a baseball season might look like. He is also playing occasional catch with newly acquired Yankee pitching ace Gerrit Cole who purchased a large home near Boone’s.

In a recent podcast, Boone indicated his optimism that there will be a baseball season this year, albeit a shortened one.

“I absolutely feel hopeful that we’re going to have a season,” said Boone. “I’ve tried, even though it’s hard because you kind of end up speculating every day, like whatever little bit of information that comes in, ‘Well I could see us starting on this date.’ It’s usually a futile effort because you don’t really have any answers and nobody really does. You try to remain hopeful and remain optimistic.

“If and when that time comes, as best we can, go out there and be prepared to go win a championship. That will be our mindset and that will be our focus. I’m confident that when we do get that call that our guys will be ready to go perform in whatever way, shape or form that is.”

Boone said of the need for a mini-spring training that it would depend on the start date and on what MLB will allow for a roster expansion.  Boone said he is in touch with all the players by text message and, in some cases, by Facetime.  He also indicated that there are about a dozen players that have remained in the Tampa training complex area.

 

New York Yankees: Analyzing Possible Breakout Prospects

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New York Yankees, Clarke Schmidt

There has been a lot of buzz about the way Clarke Schmidt has looked so far for the New York Yankees. Last year there was a ton of buzz surrounding Deivi Garcia with how quickly he was rising through the New York Yankees system. Now, both of those guys deserve the hype they’ve received. I mean, I’m a huge fan of Clarke Schmidt and believe he is a future staple of the rotation. I believe Deivi Garcia has a very high ceiling as a reliever, but I’m not 100% sold on him as a starter just yet. However, there is one pitching prospect that I think fans should keep their eyes on in 2020. This is a prospect that might have the best stuff in the entire system. This prospect has a fastball that touches triple digits, an incredible curve, and 90 MPH+ splitting change. The prospect I’m referring to is Luis Medina.

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Up & Down 2019

Medina is getting ready to turn 21 and he is looking to build off of a great end to his 2019 season. Medina has really struggled with command at times during his first few years in the minors but showed flashes at the end of last year why many believe he can be the top arm in the Yankees system. Medina really struggled for the majority of 2019 with Single-A Charleston. Medina went 1-8 with a 6.00 ERA and was walking almost seven batters per nine innings. On the flip side of that, he was striking out 11 batters per nine innings. Medina has been very hot and cold during his first few years, but the stuff is undeniable when on. The location is the part that he really needs to figure out. He turned a corner in his last couple of starts with A+ Tampa last year. In his final two starts, he pitched 10.2 innings and only gave up one run. He struck out 12 batters while only walking three. Something seemed to click with him and I think that will carry over to the 2020 season.

2020 Preview

This year I expect Medina to make it up to AA. I am not expecting Medina to come close to the majors, but I do expect him to really garner a lot of attention from people in the baseball world. You’re going to see Medina fine-tune some of his mechanics and use his three-pitch mix to really go after guys when he’s on the mound. I expect to see his strikeout numbers stay about the same, but I expect those walk numbers to go down. Medina is too good of a pitcher to never figure out his command. Expect a breakout season from Medina that will turn him into a top-five prospect in the system going into the 2021 season.

New York Yankees Prospects Looking To Make Their Marks

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The New York Yankees find themselves in yet another welcoming position they’ve been in the last few years.  Keith Law of The Athletic has the Yankees currently ranked as having the sixth-best farm system in all of baseball.  Over the last few years, the Yankees have done what has been referred to as a rebuild on the fly. They took notice of their current state of not being world series contenders and traded away their older aging assets for younger players that could help give them a future while maintaining competitiveness. This strategy has set them up for years to come with young talent that can eventually take the place of their current stars. In some cases, these young stars will be called upon sooner than expected due to unforeseen circumstances such as an injury to the major league players.  In this piece, I’ll go over the prospects who have a great opportunity to contribute this year.

Deivi Garcia: Depending on which ratings you use, Garcia can be the best pitcher in the Yankees’ minor leagues.  He is equipped with a fastball that ranges from 91-97 mph with good movement, a newly developed slider, a wipeout curveball as his bread and butter strikeout pitch, and a changeup that offers a different look to hitters.  Garcia raced through the minor league system last year making it all the way to Triple-A Scranton. At AAA. he finally found some level of competition that made him struggle. The New York Yankees will most likely keep him in Scranton for a good part of the season in order to give him more development time as he’s still only 20 years old.  Once he can refine his command and prove that he can get out AAA hitters, he will finally get his chance to prove himself in the big leagues. With the state of the Yankees rotation currently, there’s an outside chance he gets called up sooner but I would expect him to make his debut either late summer or as a September callup.

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Clarke Schmidt:  The other best pitcher in the New York Yankees farm system.  Clarke reached all the way to Double-A Trenton this past season and has an outside shot at getting some spot starts during the season if he continues to progress the way he has been.  Out of all the pitchers in the Yankees top prospects, Schmidt probably has the highest floor. He may not have the best pure stuff, but he already possesses a command of all his pitches and is probably the surest thing to be a middle of the rotation major league pitcher.  His fastball ranges from 92-97 mph with heavy sink and his breaking balls grade as above average as well. He also mixes in a changeup that drops away from bats as it reaches the plate. As previously mentioned, Schmidt is very close to being major league ready and could probably get some spot starts during the season similar to the way Jonathon Loaisiga did in 2018 making the jump from Double-A all the way to the bigs.  At the very least he will most definitely be getting a September callup to audition for a full time

Nick Nelson:  Nelson is kind of an under the radar choice for e contributor in 2020.  He is rarely talked about in the top prospect lists but he is probably the closest out of any of the pitchers to playing a role with the Yankees this year seeing as he finished in Triple-A last year as well. He comes equipped with a fastball that sits 92-96 and tops out at 98 mph but his secondary pitches are what holds him back.  None of his other pitches grade out as anything but average. The key with Nelson is although he has found success at each stop of the minor leagues, his future may be in the bullpen. His arsenal of pitches may actually be more suited for the bullpen. His fastball would just need one or two pitches to complement it allowing him to focus more on just those ones. If the Yankees end up needing another arm in the bullpen throughout long stretches of games during the season, Nelson could very well be that guy.  I believe the bullpen is going to be where he finds his home. But for now, they will continue to develop him into a starter.

These three top prospects for the Yankees have the most to offer them now and in the future.  They will be waiting for the call to showcase their stuff and look to begin their hopefully long careers in pinstripes.

When will New York Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt debut this year?

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New York Yankees, Clarke Schmidt

The New York Yankees new top pitching prospect made his spring debut this week and looked pretty impressive if you ask me. Clarke Schmidt struggled a little when he first started last weekend but has shown why he is the new top pitching prospect for the Yankees.

In his first outing, Schmidt allowed a single down the line which saw the runner get thrown out at second. After that, Schmidt threw seven straight balls although a couple were very borderline calls. In a 3-0 count, Schmidt showed his dynamic changeup for a whiff then got an inning-ending double play.

In his second outing against the Rays, Schmidt threw two strong innings striking out three batters showing off his knee-buckling curveball along with his fastball and change. Empire Sports talked about the fact that the Yankees might have found their fifth starter in Schmidt, but will it be after this spring or sometime later in the year?

Schmidt’s Ceiling is High

I think Clarke Schmidt is the best option for the Yankees rotation. You’re looking at a guy who has three plus pitches and scouts are starting to talk about how he could be a top end of the rotation kind of arm. The 24-year-old looks primed to make his debut sometime this year for the Yankees.

That being said, I would be stunned if Schmidt breaks camp as the fifth starter for the Yankees. While a lot of folks think he is ready now, I think the Yankees will slow play this just a little. The Yankees have the top four spots in their rotation figured out, and they are expecting Paxton back in the first part of the season. I think the Yankees see the incredible value in Schmidt, but I also think they want to give him every chance to develop in the minors before throwing him into the rotation.

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Where does he start?

Now, Schmidt does have the ability to force their hand early in the year. I think the Yankees need/should to start him in AAA along with Deivi Garcia. I think they will patch the fifth spot in the rotation together while letting Schmidt and Garcia have more time at AAA to fine-tune some stuff.

If Schmidt comes out and looks like a world-beater at AAA, the guys battling for that fifth spot might lose their job before they can even get a fair look. It’s a doom and gloom time right now with all the injuries, but the rotation depth the Yankees have should comfort fans. Once the Yankees get Paxton and German back, they have about nine or ten guys who could start in a major league rotation. Out of all those young guys, Schmidt has the highest ceiling and I do expect him to pitch in pinstripes this year. If you ask me, it won’t be early unless injuries force the hand of the Yankees, but Schmidt will pitch in New York at some point.

Did the New York Yankees find their 5th starter in Clarke Schmidt?

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New York Yankees, Clarke Schmidt

The season-ending injury to New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino has significant consequences. Finding a fifth starter would be problematic for any other team, but the Yankees have a profound prospect system and made the intelligent decision to retain J.A. Happ.

With James Paxton also expected to miss at least two months after having a cyst removed from his lower back, Jordan Montgomery will have to fill the void and claim the No. 4 spot in the rotation.

Initially, I expected the Yankees to utilize a three-man rotation for the fifth spot in the unit, but after seeing Clark Schmidt, one of the Yankees top youth pitching prospects, dominate on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays, my opinion has changed slightly.

Schmidt dominated in the minors last year, posting a 2.37 ERA in AA Trenton, while only pitching in 19 innings. In High A Tampa, he pitched 63.1 innings and logged a 3.84 ERA.

2019 Season Statistics:

GCL Yankees East: 8.1 IP, 3.24 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 1.080 WHIP, 15.12 K/9, 3.24 BB/9, 1.08 HR/9
High-A Tampa Tarpons: 63.1 IP, 3.84 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 1.311 WHIP, 9.81 K/9, 3.41 BB/9, 0.28 HR/9
Double-A Trenton Thunder: 19 IP, 2.37 ERA, 2.01 FIP, 0.789 WHIP, 9 K/9, 0.47 BB/9, 0.47 HR/9

According to The Athletic’s Keith Law, Schmidt is the Yankees’ top-rated prospect. He struck out three batters and allowed two hits over two innings pitched against the Rays on Thursday. While the 24-year-old has yet to make his MLB debut, he finished the 2019 season with a 2-0 record in Trenton.

Some say it is unlikely that Schmidt will make a significant impact on the 2020 season, but he utilized impressive offspeed pitches during his outing against Tampa Bay. His high strikeout rate and ability to generate ground balls rank among his greatest strengths. This also looks very good in Yankee Stadium. While consistency has been an issue at times for Schmidt, he has plenty of time to refine his abilities before the beginning of the season.

The Yankees do have Michael King, Jonathan Loaisiga, and other more experienced pitchers as options to fill the No. 5 spot. However, I wouldn’t toss Schmidt aside just yet, especially after such an impressive outing. Keep an eye on him as the pre-season progresses.

New York Yankees: Deivi Garcia, The Reliever

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees might not have another prospect that draws as much debate as Deivi Garcia. The 20 year old pitcher has awed some people into believing he is going to be the next Pedro Martinez while he’s left others believing he’s a little overrated. Personally, I think he is a little overrated. However, let me be clear about something, Deivi Garcia is an extremely talented pitcher. He’s got a fastball that sits in the mid 90’s and he has one of the best curveballs in the minors. His curve has so much spin that it actually causes him to have some control issues from time to time. Garcia strikeouts a ton of batters never having a K/9 lower than 11.4 in his minor league career.

Causes for concern

One of the biggest drawbacks to Garcia is his lack of a third option. His changeup is coming along, but many scouts wonder if it’ll ever be even an average big league pitch. Another big drawback to Garcia is his size. Garcia is generously billed at 5’9 and weighs about 165 lbs soaking wet. His very small stature is causing a lot of scouts to pause on his potential fearing he doesn’t have the physical makeup to be a starter long-term. I tend to agree with that assertion. Does that mean that I want Deivi Garcia to be used as a trade chip? No, it doesn’t mean that at all. I just think the expectations for Garcia’s MLB impact need to be changed. Let’s start considering him as a top bullpen option and not a starter.

Pen potential

Deivi Garcia has electric stuff that will play great out of the bullpen. If the Yankees decided to transition Garcia to the bullpen, they wouldn’t even have to worry about the development of his third pitch. When you’re pitching out of the pen, you can focus on just letting your best two pitches fly. Of all the best relievers in baseball, very few throw more than two pitches. Hell, the greatest of all time only threw one pitch. Garcia’s fastball-curveball combination would be dynamite out of the pen. A lot of people (including myself) wanted the Yankees to look at trading Garcia for Josh Hader this offseason. However, my devil’s advocate argument for keeping Garcia is that he could develop into one of the best relievers in the sport if that’s the path that the Yankees go down. To me, they should start focusing their attention on making him a bullpen arm. There has already been rumblings that he will be called up to the show at some point in 2020. Barring a ton of injuries, I can’t see him being called up as a starter.

Crowded Rotation

The Yankees rotation is in very good shape right now. Cole and Severino are locked in the top two spots for at least the next three seasons. The Yankees will likely bring back one of if not both Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton after the 2020 season. The Yankees have an 18 game winner in Domingo German who expects to be a rotation piece moving forward, and the Yankees also have the big lefty, Jordan Montgomery, who is competing for a rotation spot. Along with those guys, the Yankees new top pitching prospect, Clarke Schmidt, projects to compete for a spot in the rotation over the next couple of seasons. Simply put, the Yankees rotation is crowded moving forward. With all these options, the Yankees should switch Garcia to the pen now instead of him getting lost in the weeds and diminishing his value. If he comes up and is lights out from the bullpen, the Yankees would then have a key pen piece for years to come which would allow them to say goodbye to some expensive bullpen pieces without skipping a beat. I’m warm on Garcia’s potential as a starter. I’m piping hot on his potential as a reliever for the Yankees moving forward. If the Yankees decide to transition him to the bullpen, I don’t think they will regret it.

New York Yankees: New Top Pitching Prospect

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A few weeks ago, I came under a little fire from New York Yankees fans when I wrote an article about Deivi Garcia being a little overrated. The New York Yankees hype machine has made some folks believe that the impressive 20-year-old is on his way to being the next Pedro Martinez. However, using the eye test and talking to a few scouts, I just didn’t see it from him. I personally think his future is in the bullpen, but that is another topic for a different day. One of the scouts that I spoke with told me that he really liked Clarke Schmidt a lot more than he liked Garcia. Schmidt was the Yankees first-round pick back in 2017, and the Yankees were fortunate to grab him with the sixteenth pick. Many around the industry felt that Schmidt had top ten pick stuff, but due to his Tommy John surgery, he fell down to the Yankees. The pick was seen as risky by some, but the Yankees took a chance on Schmidt, and it’s looking like that chance might just pay off.

Schmidt’s Impressive 2019

Clarke Schmidt jumped in the recent prospect rankings after a very impressive 2019 season in the minors. Rising all the way to AA, Schmidt posted a 6-5 record with a 3.47 ERA and striking out 102 batters in 90.2 innings across all levels in 2019. Schmidt was extremely impressive in his three starts at AA going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA, striking out 19 batters in 19 innings. Schmidt jumped all the way into the top 100 baseball prospects for MLB.com coming in at 88th overall. Deivi Garcia dropped in these rankings to 92nd overall making Schmidt the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Yankees farm system according to MLB.com. However, it wasn’t just the MLB pipeline that ranked Schmidt ahead of Garcia. Baseball America also released its top prospects for the Yankees, and they also ranked Schmidt ahead of Garcia. Schmidt flashes a mid-90s fastball, and projects to have two above-average off-speed pitches in his changeup and slider. Garcia has electric stuff but mainly features a two-pitch mix and is tiny in stature while Schmidt stands 6’1 coming in at 200 lbs.

Down the line

Despite it sounding like it, I’m really not trying to downplay Deivi Garcia. Yes, I understand he’s 20, but I just don’t see top of the rotation talent with him. I do see him developing into a very dominant reliever where he can focus on accenting his fastball with his high level curve. Schmidt on the other hand, could very well join fellow South Carolina Gamecock Jordan Montgomery in the Yankees rotation down the line. Schmidt has the stuff, the stature, and all the makeups to be a solid middle of the rotation kind of arm that can slide right in behind Gerrit Cole and Luis Severino. If neither are used as trade chips, I really do think Schmidt and Garcia will be impactful Yankees for years to come. However, in my opinion only one of them will be impacting the Yankees from a spot in the starting rotation and that one is the Yankees new top pitching prospect, Clarke Schmidt.

New York Yankees prospect Clarke Schmidt is rising quickly

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New York Yankees

While the talk of the town has been New York Yankees top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia, there is another young righty climbing the ranks and showing he can be a quality option at the top level.

While Clarke Schmidt may not reach the majors this season, he has impressed consistently in the minor leagues. Most recently, the Yankees’ No.5 prospect tossed 6.2 scoreless innings to ensure the Thunder won the final game of a series against New Hampshire 4-0.

“He’s the type of guy where the hitters will tell you how good he is,” manager Patrick Osborn said, according to the Trentonian. “This day and age we have a lot of technology that helps to evaluate pitchers and players, but Clarke you just need to watch the hitters, and they’ll tell you this kid is really good.”

The 23-year-old pitcher struck out nine batters and allowed just two hits. He retired 17 batters in a row at one point, putting 20 of 23 hitters out of their misery.

The former first-round pick from 2017 was coming off a questionable Double-A debut, but he has proved he can be a quality option moving forward.

Schmidt has a reputation for throwing strikes frequently, hitting on 61.9% of his pitches. Over 92 total, 57 of them were strikes against New Hampshire. His combination of changeup, sinker, and fastball are the bread-and-butter of his repertoire.

Learning how to engage batters and keep them guessing is part of what makes a pitcher great. Those are the challenges he will face and the developmental refinement he will need to go through before he can be considered a major league player.

New York Yankees: Move over Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt is the real deal

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New York Yankees

The New York Yankees were extremely close to pulling the trigger on a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks to bring lefty Robbie Ray to the Bronx. The Yankees declined the offer at that final moment due to their refusal to trade former first-round pick, Clarke Schmidt. The deal would have included Schmidt and Clint Frazier along with other prospects in exchange for Ray before the deadline.

The New York Yankees have a good one in Clarke Schmidt:

Clark was promoted to double-A Tampa on Thursday. According to NJ.com, Tampa Bay Tarpons manager Aaron Tolbert explained why the young righty has the potential to be a quality pitcher for the Yankees at the top level. MLB Pipeline ranks Schmidt as the Yankees’ No. 5 overall prospect.

“He’s got some pretty devastating stuff,” the manager said. “A nice little arsenal of pitches that blend really well with each other.”

While the Yankees top minor-league pitcher is Deivi Garcia, Schmidt is another high-quality option the Yankees will be looking to develop and utilizing in the future. Drafted 16th overall in 2017 out of the University of South Carolina, Schmidt was forced to overcome Tommy John surgery but earned a spot with the Yankees farm system anyway.

In 13 games at High-A this season, Schmidt went 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA. He is very good at forcing ground balls and weak contact, and he is proficient in strikeouts, earning 69 over 63 1/3 innings.

His variety of pitches gives him the ability to change his approach towards different batters. As Alex Rodriguez stated a few weeks ago, being a good pitcher requires multiple quality grips and the ability to set hitters up and keep them guessing.

“Clean delivery,” Holbert, said to NJ.com. “Ability to command multiple pitches. I see him sticking in the starter’s role.”

Utilizing all of your options in the first at-bat is not the right way to go about succeeding on the mound. Schmidt understands that reality and has begun developing that part of his game.