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BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 06: Pitcher Dellin Betances #68 of the New York Yankees celebrates with catcher Gary Sanchez #24 after the end of the seventh inning during Game Two of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 6, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

Former New York Yankees’ back-end reliever Dellin Betances had some high praise for Cam Schlittler earlier this month–and since he called out the young pitcher’s success, he’s only gotten better. 

Betances Speaks On Schlittler’s Amazing Start

Betances, a former force in the New York bullpen, appeared on WFAN SportsRadio to talk Schlittler’s great start. 

“Well, he’s throwing like 91% fastball, which is unheard of,” said Betances. “Some guys I’ve talked to who have faced him, they’ve said he has the Lance Lynn pitch-mix. Lance Lynn threw a lot of fastballs. But what’s different is they said he has Jacob deGrom’s command.” 

“So as a hitter, you’re expecting a fastball. He’s only throwing fastballs. But you don’t know which way it’s going. You don’t know if it’s going left, you don’t know if it’s going right, or you don’t know if it’s going up. That’s what he’s done exceptionally well. And he added a cutter last year, and added more ‘rise’ to it, so it’s just missing barrels.”

Betances then discussed Schlitter’s mound presence at such a young age. 

“The poise he has, he LOVES the atmosphere. Like, there’s a guy who grew up in Boston and was kinda talking a little bit of crap. And in the playoffs, he throws eight innings. This guy’s electric. He’s been doing it all year. For me, he’s the Cy Young leader right now.” 

Betances’ good word comes with some hefty weight. As a Yankee, he racked up four All-Star selections, multiple seasons with sub-2.00 ERA’s, and a majority of his career 11.1 WAR. 

Since the Yankee legends’ kind words, Schlittler has done nothing but dominate. 

Yankees’ Cam Schlittler Can’t Be Stopped

Since his dramatic postseason efforts left MLB fans speechless, the 25-year-old right-hander has matured dramatically. 

Not only is he setting down more than ten batters per nine via strikeout, but he’s only walking 1.8! 

That’s most certainly “Jacob deGrom’s command.” A Schlitter that lives in the zone with his devastating stuff is dangerous. MLB fans and hitters haven’t neglected the newcomers’ ascension. 

MLB Reacts to Schlitter’s Ace-Type Season

Here’s what people are saying about the baby-faced Bronx ace: 

Just Baseball: “Cam Schlittler has a strong argument to be the 2nd-best SP age-25 or younger in baseball.”

Evil Empire: “The Red Sox are 22-29 since Cam Schlittler broke them.”

RotoWire: “Paul Sporer has Cam Schlittler ranked fifth overall in his upcoming June 1st update (up from 35th in his last update), with Jacob Mizerowski at sixth despite owning the best strikeout rate in baseball at 39.3%, over four points ahead of second place.” 

The611podcast: “‘He’s gonna be fun for a very, very long time.’ @JimmyRollins11 has high praise for what Cam Schlittler is doing on the mound right now.”

Marty analytics: “Cam Schlittler has seen a massive rise since being drafted. From the minors to the big leagues, his entire profile changed — not just the velocity. In this thread, I’ll break down the mechanical, movement, and pitch-design changes behind his development.”

The Yankees’ Rotation is Coming Back to Form 

With the reintroduction of ace Gerrit Cole from a prolonged IL stint, New York has finally taken shape. 

Although the Bronx Bombers still await Max Fried’s return, the rotation has performed well in his absence. 

Ryan Weathers and Will Warren have stepped up to command the latter half of New York’s staff. Both pitchers are young, dynamic, and sport flashy repertoires that can set down MLB’s finest. 

When Fried comes back, this rotation could turn into one of the better ones baseball has seen in a long time.