The New York Yankees were in desperate need of quality innings as they looked to pull away from their recent slide. With starter Clarke Schmidt shut down for Tommy John surgery, the back half of the rotation was rather barren.
On Wednesday, the Yankees turned to their top pitching prospect, right-hander Cam Schlittler. His debut was met with ample hype. Pitching to a 2.82 ERA and 11.6 K/9 in AAA, Schlittler experienced a jump in velocity that unlocked lucrative upside and had fans clamoring for his arrival.
Against the visiting Seattle Mariners, the New York faithful got their first taste of his electric arsenal.
Cam Schlittler shines in MLB debut
The Yankees beat the Mariners, 9-6, to win their third game in a row. Schlittler got the win in his debut, pitching 5.1 innings, striking out seven and allowing three rounds.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone reacted to his first regular-season look at the rookie.
“He’s in a great spot,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch. “He earned this opportunity -- not just because there’s a bunch of guys down, but because he’s absolutely the guy that’s put up the numbers and done the work in the first few months. He’s got a big arm, and he continues to get better.”
Debuts can be tricky for starting pitchers. Sipping on a cocktail of adrenaline and nerves generally leads to unsustainable velocity and erratic command. Schlittler experienced the latter, walking two but putting the ball in harm's way too often. Seattle hit three homers off him, a downstream effect of missing over the middle when pounding the zone.
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The fastball, though, is here to stay. He touched 100 mph but didn't dip below 95.6 mph, averaging the same high-90s heater that got him to the big leagues.
“His fastball has been his calling card,” Boone said. “His size really works for him. It’s about being under control and being solid with the secondary stuff. And I thought that was as big a deal tonight as anything.”
Schlittler has swing-and-miss stuff, making his tendency to attack hitters promising (even if the home runs linger). He registered six whiffs and nine called strikes on his fastball, with another four swings and misses on his slider. Throwing each of his sliders over 90 mph, he has the ability to challenge hitters in the zone. In other words, he has stuff ready-made for October.
The rookie ended his memorable debut by blowing a fastball by Cal Raleigh, the current MLB leader in home runs. He walked off to a standing ovation as the fanbase celebrated what it just witnessed -- a strong start and the birth of another high-level arm in the Yankees rotation.
Boone has seen enough. For at least one more start, he'll be taking Schmidt's turn in the rotation, thrusting himself into New York's short-term plans as the Yankees march toward first place.
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