New York Yankees’ Cam Schlittler is quietly, well, maybe loudly, developing into an ace in the Bronx.
Schlittler, 25, was a seventh-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft by the Yankees. Last season, in 14 games started, the right-hander owned an exquisite 2.96 ERA while striking out over ten batters per nine innings.
Unfortunately for Schlittler, his rookie expertise was cast in the shadow of Cy Young seasons from Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. If not for such historic performances on the mound, the young hurler from New York would’ve definitely been in the spotlight. That’s not to say he didn’t have his 15 seconds anyway.
Cam Schlittler is Already a Postseason Legend in New York
Until last year, having a rookie make starts in the MLB playoffs was almost asinine. It had happened before, with some outings even going very well. In 2025, though, rookies were all the rage.
Schlittler and Toronto’s Trey Yesavage tore down MLB’s finest at an unprecedented rate. Yesavage took his ravaging splitter all the way to the World Series. Although Schlitter narrowly missed out on baseball’s biggest stage, he didn’t forget to make his mark.
The 25-year-old made two postseason starts. The first came against New York’s archrival, the Boston Red Sox. In the most recent rendition of the rivalry in October, Schlittler mowed down Sox hitters like it was nothing. His line ended at eight innings, no earned runs, five hits, and 12 strikeouts, a truly historical performance for a first-year player.
He followed up his immaculate postseason debut with 6.1 innings of two-run ball against the eventual American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays.
It’s safe to say Schlittler is anything but afraid of the big moment; in fact, he might BE the big moment.
With a Depleted Rotation, Schlittler May be the Yankees Ace
The Yankee rotation is now without Max Fried and Gerrit Cole after the former went down with an elbow hyperextension injury.
Even with Carlos Rodon back, who had an excellent 2025, Schlittler could be the clear favorite for a game one start in a playoff series.
JustBaseballMedia’s Peter Appel weighed in on Schlittler’s potential for opportunity.
When asked if Schlittler would get the ball in game one of a playoff series, Appel was adamant that he thinks experience outweighs potential come October baseball.
“As long as Gerrit Cole is okay, he’s getting the ball in my opinion,” said Appel. “He’s earned it. It’s Gerrit Cole’s staff. Fried, I would say, has probably even earned it over Schlittler (before injury). I know it looks amazing, I know what Schlittler did in the postseason, and I think you can make a sound argument that right now Cam Schlittler is a harder pitcher to hit than Max Fried or Gerrit Cole when he comes back. But I’m sorry, fate of the universe, Gerrit Cole’s a BAD man. And Max Fried, what is he second in fWAR among all pitchers? He could win the Cy Young, too. [This] is a good problem to have.”
The Yankee rotation as of May 14th is: Schlittler, Rodon, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren, with Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn to cover the fifth spot. With so much unproven talent, who’s to say New York won’t pull the trigger on their most dominant bullet? The Schlittler train is full steam ahead, with or without Fried and Cole.
Yankees’ Cam Schlittler Unexpectedly Forcing His Way Into Integral Role