With the 220th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees selected Cam Schlittler out of Northeastern University.
They weren’t selecting a polished pitcher who just needed to adjust to the next level, but that’s to be expected when you’re evaluating a seventh-round pick.
In Cam Schlittler’s case, his profile needed way more than just some refinements in his repertoire or adjustments to his mechanics.
Coming out of college, he had a fastball that sat between 90-91 MPH with underwhelming vertical movement while also having real concerns about whether he could throw enough strikes to be a starter.
Despite all of the concerns regarding his profile and his unremarkable draft status, Cam Schlittler has become one of the best pitching prospects in the Yankees’ organization, and he’s another step closer to reaching the big leagues.
Cam Schlittler Has Gone From Afterthought to Top Pitcher in Yankees’ Organization
Another strong start for Cam Schlittler on Sunday puts him another step closer to reaching the Triple-A level, as his stuff looks remarkable in Somerset.
His 2.38 ERA is the ninth-best mark among qualified Double-A pitchers while having the third-best FIP (2.18), as he’s been a strikeout machine that limits damage contact extremely well.
Across 53 innings of work, Schlittler has allowed just one home run this season, posting a league-best 0.17 HR/9 with a .314 SLG% against.
How did someone who had such unimpressive pitch characteristics, velocity, and mechanics find themselves near the top of every leaderboard at the Double-A level?
The first area of massive improvement comes with a fastball that has gone from firmly below-average to one of his more reliable weapons.
Sitting at around 95 MPH with solid vertical movement, this pitch can be dialed up to 99 MPH, and Schlittler’s massive arms give it a lot of extension as well.
A firm heater with good characteristics, Cam Schlittler can throw this pitch in the zone for called strikes or soft contact, occasionally using it at the top of the zone to get a strikeout.
It isn’t a special fastball, but it’s gone from a below-average pitch to a reliable weapon in his repertoire, and it helps set up the rest of his nasty mix.
Schlittler possesses a sweeper that has a lot of lateral movement while having the unique characteristic of having some ride as well, causing the pitch to be devastating against right-handed batters.
Sitting in the mid-80s, this sweeper has sharp movement and is a swing-and-miss machine, but since sweepers aren’t very effective against left-handed hitters, Schlittler has another breaking ball at his disposal.
While the sweeper and fastball are good, the curveball is the pitch that visually stands out the most due to the sharp drop it generates with good horizontal movement.
Clarke Schmidt’s curveball is a good comparison for Cam Schlittler’s, as both generate tons of spin and can get some hideous swings on that pitch.
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These breaking balls make Schlittler a tough matchup regardless of handedness, with righties posting a .647 OPS and lefties a .596 OPS this season.
Schlittler’s repertoire now includes a new cutter that he can throw for strikes, which sits in the upper 80s and has touched 93 MPH before.
It’s an important addition to his arsenal, one that sits in-between his four-seamer and breaking balls on a movement plot, which can prevent hitters from easily reading a pitch out of hand.
He has four average to above-average pitches at his disposal, a far cry from where he was coming out of Northeastern, and there’s also an improvement in his Strike%.
His Strike% has increased by 3% while his walk rate has decreased from 10.6% to 8.0%, both of which immediately improve his MLB viability.
If this sticks, his swing-and-miss abilities should make him a strong candidate to get a promotion to the big leagues at some point during the 2025 season.
Cam Schlittler will have to pitch at the Triple-A level first, but if the Yankees need an emergency starter before Luis Gil or JT Brubaker are ready, he’s probably their best available arm.
The road to get here was hard, and the pitcher Cam Schlittler was when he was drafted is unrecognizable from the one he is today, and if he can stay healthy and keep shoving, he’ll be a big leaguer in no time.