Cam Schlittler's Magical Season
By Mike Whiteman
September 27, 2026
It's been quite a ride for Cam Schlittler in 2026! The hard-throwing righty will almost certainly take home the American League Cy Young award, and there has also been some MVP chatter. Maybe the best season by a Yankee pitcher I've seen.
The Yanks' offensive struggles this year made them almost unwatchable at times, but I made a point to tune in when Schlittler's turn came in the rotation.
Here's a list of his rankings among AL hurlers:
1.95 Earned Run Average (1st in AL)
7.0 WAR for pitchers (1st)
214 ERA+ (1st)
33 Games started (Tied 1st)
193.2 innings pitched (2nd)
239 strikeouts (Tied 2nd)
4.8 strikeouts per walk (2nd)
14 wins (Tied 3rd)
11.1 strikeouts/9 IP (3rd)
.700 Win/Loss percentage (4th)
2.2 walks/9IP (5th)
Schlittler's 214 ERA+ was the best in the AL since Justin Verlander's 218 in 2022.
Cam was chosen for the All-Star game, and would have had a real good chance of starting the midsummer classic had he chosen to participate. He's deserving to be the series opening starter as the Yanks begin their pursuit of a World Series championship Tuesday .
Of Schlittler's 33 starts, in 21 he allowed one or zero runs. For the season, He won 14 games and lost six. In the 13 starts he had no decision, he had a 2.04 ERA. With just a little more offensive support, he could have won 20 games, which of course is the gold standard recognized by fans of my age.
He got stronger as the season went on - 1.80 ERA in second half of season after a 2.05 first half. Cam also took on the role of stopper - going 7-3, 2.16 after Yankee losses.
Schlittler threw many gems during the season, but perhaps his best game was July 24th against Philadelphia when he tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings, yielding three hits and no walks while striking out 12. Like a number of his outings, there wasn't a lot of margin to work with and the Yanks edged the Phils 1-0 on this night.
Looking back to late 2025, including postseason, he's 16-7, 1.84 in his last 37 starts.
Power, control, endurance, confidence. The essence of an ace.
Just a magnificent season. Historic season.
Schlittler would be the seventh Yankee to take home the Cy Young award, joining the select company of Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford (1961), Sparky Lyle (1977), Ron Guidry (1978), Roger Clemens (2001), and Gerrit Cole (2023).
Just how does this season rank among the Yankees of all-time?
214 ERA+ - Best in franchise history, edging out Guidry's 208 in 1978.
1.95 Earned Run Average - 8th, but important context - Only Spud Chandler (1.64 in 1943) and Ron Guidry (1.74 in 1978) had better ERA's after 1920.
239 Strikeouts - Tied with Jack Chesbro (1904) for 4th . Fun Fact - Chesbro took 454.2 innings to get his 239 K's, more than twice Schlittler's total.
Schlittler's spectacular season comes at the youthful age of 25, and he would be the youngest Yankee to take home the Cy Young. He looks strong and capable of more seasons like 2026. Are we watching the next Yankee pitching great?
Mike, are you too young to have seen Guidry in '78? Or do you feel that Schlittler '26 is even more impressive? It's been a long time, obviously, and I was an impressionable 15-year-old, but Guidry's season remains the more impressive to have watched (to me). The difference is the IP (80 more for Guidry), which resulted in a 2.5 WAR difference with Schlittler -- that's the difference between 2025 Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, who had a manifestly inferior season.
Schlittler has had a season that has been incredibly impressive
and has faced down groups of hitters possessing greater sophistication than the groups that Guidry faced.
I watched Guidry pitch and I watched the hitters that opposed him. they were determined to hit Guidry's fastball and they rarely succeeded....... and they appeared to be peeved that the rather physically unimposing, physically ordinary, somewhat slight Ron Guidry was beating them with fastballs.
but he did, again and again
he beat them and they were emotionally unsettled
and determined not to be beaten by a third fastball thrown by some shrimp.
and then it was not the fastball, but the breaking ball and they were made to leave the batters' box and…
Sorry, but Guidry's 1978 was better. 1978 is also 48 years ago. To say that Schlittler's 2026 is the 2nd best I've ever seen is pretty damn good. I'm at 58 years of age now, and I've been watching regularly since 1977. Sorry Mom, but in 3rd grade nothing became more important than watching the Yankees, and if I got sent to bed, I had my transistor radio hidden under my pillow. Thanks Pal (Grandpa) for keeping me in batteries.
I hope so. Cam could be the core pitcher on a great staff for years to come.
Great research on this Mike!
(I can't wait to see Cam's Strat-o-Matic card for 2026.)