"Protect this man by never letting him come to bat again" - Yankees fans in splits after Clarke Schmidt's precious reaction to baseball card with OBP

New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt has put himself up with the best hitters the game has ever seen. It was revealed that the hard-throwing righty has a higher OBP than Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Juan Soto, among other greats.

It is an accomplishment any baseball player would take pride in, especially being a pitcher. Schmidt wanted to remember this, so he asked for the statistic to be put on the back of his baseball card.

The team obliged and handed the card to Schmidt, and he could not be more ecstatic. This will be something he will hold onto, as he is already thinking about getting it graded.

New York Yankees fans thought the whole situation was hilarious. They will do all they can to protect their "OBP Legend," as stated on his new card.

"Protect this man by never letting him come to bat again," one fan posted.

"This is so sweet! Clarke's reaction is so pure. Very deserving," another fan posted.

For his career, Schmidt is 0-1 at the plate with a walk and a strikeout, both happening in 2022. Hopefully, he will not see any more instances of him walking up to the plate so that he can keep his rock-solid OBP.

Clarke Schmidt could be a steady arm in a fearsome Yankees rotation

New York Yankees' Clarke Schmidt (Image via Getty)

The New York Yankees have a solid rotation heading into the new season. Gerrit Cole is coming off a Cy Young season and is expected to continue serving as the team's ace.

Behind him are Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt. If Rodon can wipe away his disastrous season last year and Cortes can stay healthy, this could be a great rotation.

Schmidt could be a middle-of-the-road starter on plenty of other teams but will slide in as the team's fifth starter. Last season, he started 32 games, compiling a 9-9 record with a 4.64 ERA on a career-high 159 innings pitched.

However, the team has not ruled out bringing another arm ahead of Opening Day. General manager Brian Cashman told reporters that they are not "pencils down" in adding pitchers.

The Yankees know how important this season is and will stop at nothing to be contenders. Another season of missing the playoffs will cause this fanbase to come unglued.