When the New York Yankees drafted 6’6, 210-pound Northeastern product Cam Schlittler in 2022,
they believed he could be a solid starting pitcher in the mid-to-back-end of their starting rotation.
The Yankees were right to think that he would become an impact player for their ballclub, but so
far in his short MLB career, he has far surpassed that initial expectation, and he is becoming one
of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball.
Schlittler has begun the 2026 season on a heater, and there are no signs of him slowing down.
Schlittler began his MLB career in 2025, and he debuted against the Seattle Mariners on July 7.
In that game, Schlittler threw 5.1 innings, gave up four hits, allowed three runs, while striking
out seven Seattle batters and walking two. The 2025 season was considered a success for
Schlittler overall. He had a 2.96 ERA through 14 starts and 73 innings. He also had a 10.36 K/9
which is regarded as elite.
He had his best performance in the postseason against his childhood team, the Boston Red Sox. In Game 3 of the Wild Card series against Boston, Schlittler pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball. He struck out 12 Red Sox hitters and did not walk one. Even though Schlittler’s command was outstanding against Boston and in the postseason, as he walked 0 hitters through 14.1 innings, Schlittler did struggle throughout the regular season with giving up free passes. Schlittler had a 3.82 BB/9; a high mark. Also, Schlittler possessed a low groundball rate; 36.4%.
However, in his young 2026 campaign, Schlittler has addressed those two blemishes in a major way.
Over 35.2 innings and six starts in 2026, Schlittler has pitched to a superb 1.77 ERA. He is also
striking out 10.35 batters per nine innings.
Most impressively, though, Schlittler walks only 1.01 batters per nine innings, a huge improvement from his 2025 mark of 3.82. He has the best strikeout to walk ratio in MLB: 10.25. The next best belongs to Seattle Mariners starter Emerson Hancock: 7.00.
In 2025, Schlittler had only a 2.71 K/BB. He has made tremendous strides with his control. As well as improving in the command department, Schlittler is generating ground balls at a much higher clip this season. He currently sits at a 49.4 percent GB rate, 13 percent higher than 2025.
Schlittler is an old school pitcher. He throws three variations of a fastball – a four-seamer, sinker,
and cutter. He throws these pitches 90 percent of the time, and he sometimes mixes in a curveball (9 percent of the time) and the rare slider. (He has only thrown 11 sliders this season).
His four-seam fastball has an average velocity of 97.7 MPH. That ranks fifth among all qualified MLB starters. OnApril 23, Schlittler faced the Red Sox for the first time since last October when he sent them
home from the postseason, and he dominated them once again.
He tossed 8 innings and gave up 2 runs (only 1 earned). His command, like it has been all season, was on point again, walking only 1 Red Sox batter.
Right now, through about one month this MLB season, Schlittler is the best pitcher in the sport.
The Yankees found this hidden gem in the eighth round of the draft, and they have done an
exemplary job in developing this once raw talent.
Currently, the Yankees have the best starting rotation in baseball (2.63 team ERA ranks first). They are performing at this level while missing former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt. With the way Schlittler is blossoming, this starting rotation becomes an absolute nightmare for opposing lineups.
