Cam Schlittler is unanimous AL Cy Young winner

New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler made the most of his first full season with the team, unanimously winning the American League Cy Young Award. Additionally, Milwaukee Brewers righty Jacob “The Miz” Misiorowski was the unanimous winner on the National League side.

Schlittler finished ahead of Toronto Blue Jays righty Dylan Cease, who led the league with a 2.56 FIP. Cleveland Guardians lefty and AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Parker Messick finished third.

Neither held a candle to Cam Schlittler, who led the American League with a 7.0 WAR and 1.95 ERA. His 215 ERA+ is also particularly telling, measuring him a full 115% better than the league average ERA.

The big Bostonian righty went 14-6 and also matched Cease’s 239 strikeouts. And he did it all with fastballs. Per Baseball Savant, Schlittler led with his four-seamer at a 44.5% usage rate while pairing that with his cutter and sinker. Only later in the season did he adopt what’s shaping up to be a pretty strong-looking curveball.

The Yankees’ pitching staff led baseball with a 3.23 ERA this season, and Schlittler’s dominance was a key factor. Veteran and fellow Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole did not return from Tommy John surgery until June, and still wasn’t as sharp for the rest of the season. Safe to say that as of now, starting Opening Day in 2027—whenever that may be—is Schlittler’s opportunity to lose.

New York’s rotation heading into next season already looks stacked too. Aside from Schlittler and Cole, lefties Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are each capable of posting Cy Young-like numbers themselves. Will Warren’s true potential is still untapped, and Ryan Weathers might be a secret innings-eater.

Cam Schlittler winning the Cy Young is a warning that the Yankees’ arms could be a thorn in the side for a long, long time.