Cam Schlittler has been even better than the New York Yankees could have hoped for this year.
With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Max Fried all missing chunks of the season, Schliuttler stepped up as the Yankees' ace. It may be a title he's not ready to give up any time soon. Not only has he been the Yankees' best arm, but he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Schlittler has the best ERA in the American League. He is tied for the second-most strikeouts in the AL, and recently received the most first-place votes in an MLB.com poll predicting the AL Cy Young Award winner. Right now, the race is between Dylan Cease and Schlittler.
Cease missed some time with an injury and has made three fewer starts than Schlittler, and at this point, the only thing between Schlittler and a Cy Young Award in his first full season with the Yankees is an injury. It's not crazy to assume that if he remains healthy, he will be walking away with some hardware. Schlittler has Cease beat in every category except strikeouts and strikeout rate.
Fans got a taste of Schlittler's greatness last season. He made 14 starts and had a 2.96 ERA. In the postseason, he delivered a gem against the Boston Red Sox, going eight innings with 12 strikeouts and no earned runs. He delivered 6 1/3 innings in the American League Division Series, allowing just two earned runs.
He was named an All-Star this year, and it's safe to assume he would start the Yankees' first playoff game this year. Max Fried's return could change that, but Schlittler has clearly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game at just 25 years old.