Cam Schlittler's emergence has Yankees fans wondering where this scouting has been

The New York Yankees might have something in rookie starter Cam Schlittler. Called up out of desperation following injuries to Clarke Schmidt and Ryan Yarbrough, the club was betting big on the 24-year-old who had just 23 2/3 innings under his belt at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Schlittler's rise to prominence as a prospect was unexpected. A seventh-round pick in 2022 out of Northeastern, the big righty didn't seem to have the goods right away. However, after some starts and stops, he rocketed up the boards this season and became one of the most highly regarded prospects in the Yankees' system.

Now with eight big league starts under his belt, the youngster has been showing ace-like stuff and is becoming something the Yankees have struggled to develop over the last decade and a half.

Cam Schlittler is turning into a rarity for the New York Yankees

The Yankees have been lauded for their development of young pitchers, with Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil being the two most recent success stories. With that said, the organization has longed for a true power arm for some time.

Schlittler didn't appear to be in that conversation when he first arrived in the professional ranks. Despite standing 6-foot-6, he struggled to break 90 miles per hour with his fastball in the early going. That began to change as he advanced through the system, and in 2024, his 154 strikeouts were the most among all Yankees minor league hurlers.

Today, that fastball is a weapon. With a 58% usage rate, Schlittler is averaging 97.7 miles per hour on his heater, at times touching triple-digit velocity and leaving hitters in the dust. With a high spin rate, the four-seamer has generated an impressive 25.8% whiff rate and sets up the rest of his repertoire, which also includes a cutter, sweeper, curveball, and sinker.

On the strength of the fastball-heavy repertoire, Schlittler has been able to rack up the K's, posting a 26.3% strikeout rate and 30.7% chase rate, which rank in the 77th and 79th percentile, respectively. His latest dismantling of the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox on Aug. 25 and 30 showcased these skills to a tee, as the rookie racked up 16 strikeouts over 12 innings, bringing down his ERA to 2.61 on the season after allowing just one run on eight hits and four walks.

The Yankees haven't had a homegrown starter with this kind of power-pitching prowess in some time. The only recent examples would be Joba Chamberlain, whose potential as a frontline starter was derailed by the misguided "Joba Rules", and Luis Severino, who would later lose his power following his 2019 injury and draw the ire of Yankee fans in his latter years with the club.

It's easy to dream about what Schlittler can become, but it's also important to remember the rookie isn't without flaws. With a 4.04 BB/9 and 1.28 HR/9, he has to clean up some command issues in order to sustain consistent dominance. The power will help to mask that, so while he won't need to have pinpoint control like some lesser talents, cleaning up these issues as he gains more experience would really put him on an ace-like trajectory.

From here on out, Schlittler's starts should be must-watch TV for every Yankee fan. We haven't seen the club develop an arm like this in some time, and the potential with which he oozes shows that the sky is the limit.