As if the New York Yankees didn’t have enough star power, they’ve potentially found their next long-term ace in sophomore pitcher Cam Schlittler. The 25-year-old Schlittler ended August in strong fashion, striking out eight and holding the Red Sox to two hits in Friday's 1-0 victory. Despite allowing five walks, he once again carried the Yankees on a weak night for the offense.
Schlittler became the fourth-youngest Yankee to record a 200-strikeout season and added another bullet point to his Cy Young résumé.
“It’s just a testament to how good he’s gotten and continued to improve exponentially since we signed him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Rifling through the Minor Leagues, I just feel like over the last two years, he’s just steadily gotten better and better. He has a really good grip on his arsenal, and he’s obviously pitching like one of the great pitchers in the league.”
Schlittler has been excellent, but where could his final numbers rank among the greatest pitching seasons in Yankees history? Prepare to be impressed.
How Cam Schlittler's season compares to other Yankees greats
Strikeouts
Schlittler averages 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings, so for the sake of conversation, let’s say that he makes five more starts. There is no indication that the Yankees intend to limit the rest of his regular-season workload, nor can they afford to given the heated AL East and Wild Card race.
At his current pace, Schlittler would end the year with 256 strikeouts, which would rank second in Yankees history. Gerrit Cole is the only other pitcher in franchise history to even surpass 250 strikeouts, punching out 257 during his impressive 2022 campaign.
ERA
Schlittler’s 2.09 ERA currently ranks 12th among qualified starting pitchers in Yankees history. You’ll likely recognize Ron Guidry (1.74 in 1978) and Whitey Ford (2.01 in 1958) included in those above him, though most of the other names pitched during the deadball era.
Of the Yankees' six Cy Young winners, Guidry is the only one with an ERA lower than Schlittler. Considering that his brilliant 1978 season ended with a World Series title, Schlittler should be especially excited by the thought of joining Louisiana Lightning.
Wins Above Replacement
If the regular season ended today, Schlittler’s 5.9 bWAR would be tied for 37th in franchise history. However, if he can get to 6.5 over his final five starts, he’d match Guidry for No. 25 on the Yankees’ all-time list.
Let’s go back to those six Cy Young winners again. He’s already third behind Gudiry and Gerrit Cole (7.4 bWAR) in 2023, though we must note that 1977 winner Sparky Lyle was a multi-inning closer. For what it’s worth, Lyle had 3.7 bWAR in 137 innings for the World Series champions.
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