The New York Yankees begin a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday, September 4.
During these three games, Cam Schlittler is not listed as one of the Yankees starters. After his last appearance against the Los Angeles Angels, Schlittler threw nine strikeouts, with two hits, and one in earned run in eight innings.
Since that performance, MLB insiders have made bold statements about where Schlittler stands against Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease in the American League Cy Young race.
MLB Network Hosts Say It Will Be A Coin Flip Between Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease In AL Cy Young
MLB Network hosts Mark DeRosa and Jake Peavy discuss the on-going battle between New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease in the AL Cy Young race.
Both DeRosa and Peavy explain that it’s a tight battle between the two, ultimately saying that it’s a “coin flip.”
“You start to look at some of the underlying metrics, you kind of Cease,” DeRosa said. “You kind of look at the raw data, and it’s Cam Schlittler.”
AL Cy Young frontrunners Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease both made strong arguments for their case again last night in dominant outings!
While DeRosa and Peavy believe that the race is too close to call right now, MLB insider Jon Morosi believes that Schlittler has the edge over Cease.
“You look at the innings, the ERA, and the WHIP, all favors Schlittler,” Morosi said on an MLB Network segment on September 2. “If you look at the actual criteria, it is given to the best pitcher in the American League, period… it’s not most valuable, it’s not the pitcher that changes the divisional race… at this moment in time, it is still all there.”
Although Morosi states that Schlittler has the edge, he notes that Cease has the opportunity to pull the award away from the Yankees pitcher.
Yankees beat writer Ryan Garcia furthers the narrative for Schlitter by stating that he currently has the third-best Yankees ERA for any post-integration Yankee starter.
“Cam Schlittler leads the American League in both ERA (2.04) and IP (171.2),” Garcia said on X. “He’s gotten the most outs and prevents runs better than anyone else in the AL; I think that makes him the clear-cut Cy Young favorite after last night.”
Cam Schlittler This Season
In his second MLB season, Schlittler received his first All-Star game nod and leads the American League in ERA.
In 29 starts, Schlittler has a 12-6 record, 2.04 ERA, and 210 strikeouts.
He leads the American League in innings pitched with 171.2.
Aside from the stats, the debate between Schlittler and Cease began when Blue Jays manager John Schneider opted to start Cease over Schlittler in the All-Star game this season.
Heading into the All-Star game, Cease had a 6-4 record with a 2.56 ERA, while Schlittler was 9-5 with a 2.05 ERA.
Cam Schlittler Receives Crucial Update From MLB Insider Amid Cy Young Race