Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees nearly gave back a three-run lead in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night, but they survived and moved to 20-10 on the season. The bullpen drama at the end doesn’t change what Schlittler did through the first six innings, which was nothing short of perfect. Six innings, zero runs, eight strikeouts, 92 pitches. His ERA dropped to 1.51 on the season. At some point you run out of ways to describe how good this kid has been.
Schlittler’s Statcast profile this year reads like a pitcher who has figured out every part of the game simultaneously. He ranks in the 98th percentile or better in walk rate and chase rate, which means he’s throwing strikes in the right spots and hitters are chasing out of the zone at an elite rate. The combination of those two things is essentially the formula for limiting traffic and limiting damage, and Schlittler is executing it start after start.
The Pitch-by-Pitch Numbers Are Ridiculous
Opposing batters are hitting .175 against his four-seam fastball this season. They’re hitting .094 against his cutter. They’re hitting .154 against his sinker. Those are the three pitches he throws most often, and hitters are completely lost against all three of them. When a pitcher can get those kinds of results across his primary arsenal, it means he’s not a one-pitch wonder who gets exposed the second time through the lineup. He’s a problem from the first at-bat to the last.
I’ve watched a lot of pitching prospects come through this organization over the years, and I can’t remember one who looked this polished this early in their career. Schlittler doesn’t look like a 25-year-old figuring out the major leagues. He looks like a veteran who has already been through the learning curve and come out the other side. The command, the sequencing, the ability to put hitters away when he needs to — it’s all there, and it was all on display against Texas on Tuesday.
What He Means to This Organization
The contract situation is the part that cannot be overstated. Schlittler is under team control through 2032. The Yankees have a pitcher who is currently performing like a top-five starter in the American League and they’ll have him for five more seasons at a cost that would barely qualify as a footnote in their overall payroll. In a sport where frontline starters routinely command $25-30 million annually on the open market, having Schlittler at this price gives the Yankees financial flexibility to address other roster needs without sacrificing pitching quality.
When Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon return, this rotation becomes genuinely elite. Fried is already the most reliable arm they have. Schlittler is the most dominant. Adding Cole’s experience and Rodon’s track record to a group that also includes Will Warren and Ryan Weathers gives the Yankees options that most organizations only dream about.
The near-disaster in the ninth inning will generate some conversation. It should. The bullpen needs to be better in those situations. But Schlittler gave them every opportunity to win this game, and he’s been doing that every five days for two months. At 20-10 and with the best pitching staff they’ve had in years, the Yankees are in an excellent place, and Schlittler is a big reason why.
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