Cam Schlittler is Not Yankees Paul Skenes

The New York Yankees are hurting for pitchers.

Just as starting pitcher Marcus Stroman finally returned from a season-long injury a little under a month ago, down went Ryan Yarbrough, Mark Leiter Jr. and Clarke Schmidt. The Yankees started this season with Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, two of their 2024 World Series starters, on the Injured List.

In his recent MLB debut, Yankees prospect Cam Schlittler stunned fans with a remarkable first outing. This led to a wave of speculation that Schlittler may be the Yankees' very own version of Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Paul Skenes, and might therefore be load-bearing in their recovery. The comparison doesn't seem fair to Schlittler.

In a July 9 start vs. the Seattle Mariners, Schlittler pitched 5 1/3 innings in which he allowed four hits (three runs) and struck out MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh for his first strikeout in the majors. Schlittler was met with a standing ovation when Jonathan Loáisiga replaced him on the mound. He showed incredible promise but it's important to remember as the 24-year-old gets ready to start again this week: he's only pitched one game.

To make the comparison, in 20 starts this season, two-time All-Star Skenes has a 4-8 record — the losses admittedly have much more to do with a lack of run support from the Pirates — and a staggering 2.01 ERA this season.

Writing for Heavy on Yankees, Dave Benson expressed compassion for the optimism among Yankees fans, given the team's recent pitching woes.

"In 2025, New York Yankees fans can be forgiven for resorting to hyperbolic statements after an encouraging debut from a homegrown pitching prospect," Benson wrote. "In fact, just about any news regarding a Yankees starter this season that doesn’t involve an injury of a potentially season-ending nature might be cause for a parade in the Bronx."

Schlittler, who is currently ranked 10th among Yankees prospects, was called up to replace Schmidt in the rotation following Schmidt's season-ending torn UCL. Schmidt has since undergone a successful Tommy John surgery for the injury, but will not return this season.

Schlittler is certainly impressive, but he'll need more time to prove that he can flourish. In one start, he's already amassed a tremendous amount of pressure to be perfect. Getting the kid in his head after one start is not the solution for the Yankees pitching woes, and it may do more harm than good.

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