Cam Schlittler Is Yankees' Best Home-Grown Starter in 50 Years

New York Yankees rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler leads the majors with a 1.35 ERA and is tied for second with six wins this season.

May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

How good is New York Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler?

If the season ended today (and of course it doesn't), Schlittler would be the favorite to take home the American League Cy Young Award. He's tied for first in the AL with six wins and leads the majors with a miniscule 1.35 ERA.

Schlittler also leads the AL with a 0.78 WHIP and and is second in the league with a 2.8 WAR.

Numbers like that certainly have the big leagues buzzing that Schlittler could be the Yankees' second Cy Young winner in four years, following Gerrit Cole's impressive 2023 campaign.

But Schlittler's impact goes way beyond that, because he's the Yankees' best-home grown starting pitcher in half a century.

Chasing history

The last born-and-bred Yankees pitcher to win the Cy Young Award was Ron Guidry in 1978. Yes, Roger Clemens won the Cy Young Award in 2001. But he was a hired gun brought in by the pinstripes during their last dynasty.

But wait, you say. What about Andy Pettitte? Surely the Core Four left-hander is worthy of consideration, especially when you look at his postseason numbers.

Yes, Pettitte is the all-time leader in playoff wins (19), innings pitched (276.2) and games started (44). No one can doubt the role he played in the Yankees' last five World Series winners.

Mar 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees former pitcher Andy Pettitte reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before an opening day game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

But the Cy Young Award is based on the regular season. And while good, Pettitte was never great. He had five top-6 finishes in Cy Young voting, finishing as the runner-up in 1996 when he recorded 21 wins.

During his 18-year MLB career, Pettitte only recorded three sub-3.00 ERA seasons and never even smelled 200 strikeouts. Schlittler is well on his way to doing both of those this year.

And while it's a small sample set, what Schlittler did in the 2025 American League Wild Card to the Boston Red Sox shows us he's a primetime postseason player.

Ready for primetime

Look, there's no arguing that Mariano Rivera is the Yankees' best home-grown player in the last 50 years. But when it comes to starting pitching, you have to go back to the Bronx Zoo days for someone who can compare to Schlittler.

Guidry was, without a doubt, a beast on the mound for the Yankees. During his 14-year career, all of which came with New York, the left-hander was a four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner. He won a pair of ERA titles, including that magical 1978 campaign.

"Louisiana Lightning" was a big reason the Yankees won their second straight World Series title that year. He led the majors with 25 wins and an insane 1.74 ERA. His nine shutouts and 9.6 WAR topped the American League.

Can Schlittler match those numbers? Yes. Will he? Maybe. But we've seen enough from the 25-year-old to know he's well on his way to becoming one of the Yankees' best home-grown pitchers of all-time.