Yankees Have the Hottest Pitcher in the American League East

The New York Yankees have a budding superstar on their hands in the starting rotation.

May 9, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

New York Yankees fans have to be excited about what they're seeing out of young starting pitcher Cam Schlittler right now.

The 25-year-old doesn't look like he is in the middle of his first full season in the majors. Instead, he has looked like a 10-year veteran. Schlittler has made 11 starts so far this season and should be considered the favorite for the 2026 American League Cy Young Award. He has a league-leading 1.50 ERA in 66 innings pitched to go along with an eye-popping 75-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

That's not all, though. Schlittler is leading American League pitchers with 3.1 wins above replacement on the season. That's tied with Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals for the fifth-highest overall mark in the league this season. Shohei Ohtani is leading the league at 3.9 wins above replacement and Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez has the second-highest mark at 3.6 wins above replacement.

Cam Schlittler Should Be The AL Cy Young Contender Favorite

May 20, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

What Schlittler has been able to do so far in his career has been historic. MLB's Sarah Langs shared on X that his 2.27 ERA in his first 25 career regular-season starts is actually the lowest mark by a Yankees pitcher in their first 25 career starts.

"Cam Schlittler has a 2.27 ERA in 25 career regular-season starts," Langs wrote. "That’s the lowest ERA in a Yankees’ first 25 career games, ALL starts, since ER official (1913)."

Cam Schlittler has a 2.27 ERA in 25 career regular-season starts

That’s the lowest ERA in a Yankees’ first 25 career games, ALL starts, since ER official (1913)

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 26, 2026

This is the last thing the other teams in the American League needed. This is already a team with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón on the roster. That's already nerve-wracking enough. But now the Yankees have another legit Cy Young Award contender in Schlittler, plus an offense featuring guys like Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and many others. At some point, Giancarlo Stanton will be back as well. This is a team that has the tools to make a deep run.

The Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the AL East right now at 34-17. The Yankees are in second place at 32-22. While this is the case, New York is significantly better on paper and has the tools to catch them in the standings and eventually make a deep run.

If the Yankees enter the playoffs with Schlittler, Cole, and Rodón healthy at the top of the rotation, this is a team that can beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and win the World Series this season.