Growing up in Walpole, Mass., Cam Schlittler naturally rooted for the Red Sox.
With Fenway Park roughly 45 minutes from home, Schlittler idolized players like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia. As pitching became a serious career choice, Schlittler paid closer attention to Red Sox hurlers like Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck.
He also gravitated toward Boston’s fiercest rival over time. The Yankees reciprocated, using a seventh-round pick on the Northeastern product in 2022.
“When it came to baseball and the pitching side of it, the Yankees were always where I wanted to be,” Schlittler said. “Before the draft, they were very interested in me, and I was very interested in them. When it came to my career, this is where I wanted be.”
Asked about being a Sox fan, he stressed, “I’m not anymore.”
These days, Schlittler locks onto Gerrit Cole, as the 24-year-old, considered the Yankees’ 14th-best farmhand by Baseball America, is attending his first big league camp. He doesn’t want to be the pesky prospect who bugs veterans, but Schlittler has made it a point to study how Cole throws, warms up and goes about his business.
The right-handed Schlittler has also picked Mark Leiter Jr.’s brain. Leiter throws a splitter, a pitch Schlittler is working on adding to an arsenal that also includes a mid-90s fastball, a big curveball, a sweeping slider and a cutter.
“He’s a big split guy,” Schlittler said, “so he was a good guy to have a conversation with to just casually get an opinion on what he thinks and let me know what I should do with that pitch.”
Schlittler spent the majority of last season at High-A, recording a 2.60 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 17 starts and 86.2 innings. His numbers dipped a bit at Double-A, where he posted a 4.45 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 32.1 innings. Schlittler also made a one-game appearance at Triple-A, allowing four earned runs over 1.2 innings.
Schlittler has looked sharp so far this spring, though, first turning heads last week during live batting practice. The session saw Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe and DJ LeMahieu strike out.
Schlittler shined again on Sunday, striking out two while holding the Tigers to one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings.
Cam Schlittler is one of the #Yankees top pitching prospects, and he looked NASTY in his two scoreless innings of work 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QS9IP1kOiA
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) February 23, 2025
Asked what he’s thought of Schlittler so far, Aaron Boone replied, “Easy for you to say,” a nod to a name that could sound like a swear if not pronounced carefully.
Then came the manager’s assessment.
“He’s been good. He’s definitely opened some eyes. I know a lot of guys were excited about seeing him out there [Sunday]. Thought he got better as he went. Lives have been really good,” Boone said of the 6-6 pitcher. “He gets your attention with his stuff, and obviously being tall, lanky, long-levered creates some angle on you. So I’ve been encouraged with what we’ve seen so far.”
There are still a few weeks left in spring training, but Schlittler has presented himself as a prospect worth paying attention to this year.
He’s not sure what level he’ll be assigned to at the start of the season, but he hopes to move up the ranks quickly. Of course, seeing him debut as soon as this season would likely require some injuries to other pitchers, but it’s easy to see Schlittler’s repertoire playing in the majors in the not-to-distant future.
“I’m pretty confident in myself,” Schlittler said of his 2025 outlook. “Part of the reason for being here is to get my feet wet a little bit, learn the ropes and see how it goes. Wherever I start this year, I obviously need to perform, compete, be consistent and stay healthy. And then whatever happens with that happens.”
Originally Published:
