The New York Yankees are without two of their best players, Aaron Judge and Max Fried, which is undoubtedly not the most ideal situation. But conveniently, the Yankees happen to have two younger versions of Judge and Fried in Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler, respectively. Schlittler in particular has arguably been the best pitcher in all of Major League Baseball so far in 2026, and it wouldn’t be crazy to make an American League MVP case for him either.
Schlittler, 25, burst onto the scene in July of last season, making 14 regular-season starts before being handed the ball in a do-or-die Game 3 against the Boston Red Sox. We all know what happened in that legendary start, but Schlittler has still somehow managed to exceed expectations this year: after racking up a career-high 13 strikeouts in Friday’s win against the Cincinnati Reds, Schlittler now leads all AL pitchers in brWAR (4.2), ERA (1.71), innings pitched (95), starts (16), and ERA+ (247). There’s absolutely no doubt that the young Massachusetts native has already become one of the best pitchers in the league.
Good, but Just How Good?
Schlittler has the lead in a ton of statistical categories right now, but what do the underlying metrics suggest about his performance? According to StatCast, Schlittler’s run of dominance is no fluke: among qualified pitchers, he ranks in the 90th percentile or better in expected ERA (xERA), average fastball velocity, chase rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate. By run value, he is the most valuable pitcher in baseball, and his fastball in particular is the most valuable pitch in baseball as well. Of course, that is kind of to be expected from a guy who primarily throws three kinds of fastballs.
Those three kinds are a four-seamer, cutter, and sinker. He throws one of these three about 91% of the time, occasionally dropping in a curveball once every 15 pitches or so. His four-seamer specifically gets whiffed on like crazy, 33.7% of the time to be exact (the average fastball’s whiff rate typically hovers between 20 and 25 percent). Clearly, Schlittler’s stuff is on another level, and when it’s paired with Gerrit Cole-like command, it’s no wonder that Schlittler is practically unhittable.
Making History
Schlittler, according to StatMuse, has already made history in the Yankees’ record books: his ERA of 1.71 through his first 16 starts gives him the franchise record for the lowest ERA through 16 starts by a pitcher under age 26. Last night, he also became the youngest Yankees’ pitcher to record 13 strikeouts in a game while walking none. And, if he were to win the AL Cy Young at the end of this season, he would also become the youngest Yankee to ever take home that kind of hardware.
It’s evident that New York has something really special with Schlittler, and if this is a testament to the Yankees’ pitching development staff, opposing teams should be scared of what New York’s rotation could look like in a couple of years when top prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange are Major League-ready. But for now, the Yankees and their fans can enjoy one of the best seasons by a homegrown Yankees’ pitcher in what feels like ages.
Main Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
