Schmidt began his career with the Rangers and White Sox almost exclusively as a reliever. The Sox acquired him along with Wayne Tolleson for Ed Correa, Scott Fletcher, and Jose Mota in late 1985. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 1987, and promptly pitched his way into the starting rotation. He was leading the AL in ERA on June 24 (2.24), but a bone spur in his pitching elbow sidelined him after August 22 and required surgery, and he spent most of 1988 back in the bullpen. Schmidt possessed excellent control, walking only 2.38 batters per nine innings in his ML career.
