Cam Schlittler’s rise with the Yankees has been built on a simple idea: less variety, more velocity.
The right-hander came out of Northeastern University, where he made a name for himself as the Coastal Athletic Association’s rookie of the year and a freshman All-American. That track record helped put him on the radar, even without the usual big-school spotlight that often follows players from places like LSU, Vanderbilt, Texas and Miami.
New York took Schlittler in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and it took a few seasons in the minors before his path opened up. An injury to Clarke Schmidt led to Schlittler’s promotion in July last year, and he handled the opportunity well. He even picked up a postseason win against the Boston Red Sox.
This season, though, the leap has been even bigger. According to MLB.com’s Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Schlittler adjusted his pitch mix after getting feedback on his breaking stuff a year ago.
"Schlittler noted the feedback on his breaking pitches a year ago. Unlike [Jacob] Misiorowski, he's abandoned all pretense and is now throwing 90% fastballs.
Sounds unhinged. But because he throws three of them -- the primary four-seamer plus a cutter and a sinker -- hitters are running into the same problem they experience facing Garrett Crochet, not a comp anyone can give lightly."
That three-fastball setup - four-seamer, sinker and cutter - is the key. The pitches all come out with heat, but they don’t move the same way, which makes life miserable for hitters even when they know the velocity is coming.
It’s helped turn Schlittler’s season into a career year and put his name in the mix for the AL Cy Young Award in what is his first full year in the majors.
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Jasson Dominguez Is Giving The Yankees A Tougher Outfield Decision
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The next part is the part the Yankees have to sort through. Domnguez has not seized the opportunity in Triple-A, where his offense has been slow over the first stretch of games, and that only adds to the uncertainty around his role going forward. For a team trying to line up its future outfield, the issue is no longer just whether Domnguez can hit at the big-league level, but whether the organization still sees him as the answer it once did. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Already Have A Luis Garca Jr. Trade Problem
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Cruzs transition in Washington has been bumpy as well, with the young pitchers results sliding the wrong way and a rough ERA and blown saves adding to the concern. The saving grace for both clubs is that neither player is a finished product, and both remain under team control, which leaves plenty of time for the deal to look very different later on, even if the present tense is uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Take A Flier On A Reliever Who Wasnt This Bad Before
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His rough 2026 season pushed him out of Kansas Citys plans, but the Yankees are clearly willing to see whether a trip to Triple-A can get him back on track. The appeal is obvious: the raw pitch data still points to a reliever with usable traits, and New York will have time to sort through whether he can become more than just another depth add. If he does show enough in the minors, a late-season promotion would not be out of the question. [Read more 🡒]