Ryan Garcia
Cam Schlittler was called up last season as an emergency option when the Yankees found out that Clarke Schmidt would need season-ended Tommy John Surgery.
While they pursued a deadline upgrade that would have likely moved him out of a rotation spot with Luis Gil’s impending return, New York’s failure to close a deal for a starter ended up working out best for them.
Schlittler would be one of the best pitchers in the sport from August forward, and he’s ascended to the no. 2 spot in the rotation with the injuries they’re nursing with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and the aforementioned Clarke Schmidt.
There’s a chance he holds onto that spot even when everyone returns from the injured list, as he’s gone from someone you’re hoping to get competitive starts from to a a pitcher with lofty expectations entering 2026.
Why the Yankees’ Bar For Cam Schlittler is Set So High
Cam Schlittler has had leaps of hype and excitement swirling around him ever since his dominant performance in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series against his hometown Red Sox.
The hype isn’t something the Yankees are shying away from, and Schlittler himself is more than aware of the fact that he’s being viewed as a top-half of the rotation starter.
It’s not an undeserved honor; Eno Sarris of The Athletic ranked him inside his top-30 starting pitching rankings while Lance Brozdowski has him ranked inside the top-40.
This isn’t just a hype machine driven purely by fans of the Yankees, its one that the league and industry has been part of as well due to the elite-level stuff that the right-hander possesses.
Everyone knows about his high-90s heat, but the right-hander has been at work finetuning some of his shapes to create an even nastier mix, such as adding more ride to his fastball.
Tracking all of his starts since 2025 Spring Training, you can see a slow rise in vertical movement on his fastball, something that the right-hander noted he’s been working on.
Seam orientation is a big part of what Schlittler worked on throughout the winter, and if his fastball can sit around 17 inches of ride in 2026, you could see some more swings and misses on that pitch.
Another reason why his four-seamer could be even nastier is the inclusion of a power cutter which is sitting around 95 MPH with solid riding action and excellent lateral movement.
Having that much velocity and movement is rather unprecedented, with the only example I could come up with being Corbin Burnes, which is a pretty lofty comparison.
These two nasty fastballs headline his mix and they’re paired with a sinker, curveball, and slider which allow Cam Schlittler to change eye levels and get lefties or righties out.
The Yankees are not looking at Schlittler as an exciting project; he’s supposed to be the no. 2 starter until Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole return from the IL.
With Will Warren and Ryan Weathers as more uncertain commodities in the rotation, there’s a lot riding on Schlittler to be a reliable option every fifth day.
I think he can handle that kind of pressure, but I also don’t want to overinflate his stock to the point where a good season would be considered disappointing.
Cam Schlittler tossing 170 innings with a 3.60 ERA would let him live up to those top 30-40 starter projections, and its what I’m hoping to get in his first full season.
Progression is not always linear, it’s possible that there are areas where he has to grow during the season after getting knocked around a bit, but I believe there’s an ace in there somewhere and the Yankees could definitely unlock it.
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