Schlittler enters an exclusive group of players to reach 1.0 WAR for 2026

Schlittler enters an exclusive group of players to reach 1.0 WAR for 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees pitching rotation has been so good this season, that their second-best starter has joined an exclusive group of players to already reach 1.0 WAR for 2026. Cam Schlittler, who has been dominant in his first three starts of the year, joins Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu and Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.

Notice how Schlittler is the first, and only, pitcher to make the list.

In his three starts, Schlittler has pitched 16.2 innings and has an ERA of 1.62. The 25-year-old phenom in the making has struck out 22 of the 58 batters he has faced thus far. The three main components for his successful start to the year has been the effectiveness of his four-seam fastball, sinker and cutter. Especially that cutter, which has been thrown 68 times thus far, and only hit once for a single.

The Yankees are blessed with not only one phenomenal pitcher, but two with Max Fried as well. Plus, you cannot forget that this team also pays Gerrit Cole to hurl the baseball at opposing batters, and his return will be here before we know it.

For Schlittler, he is proving that this sophomore season is anything but a slump. He has done his part to ensure his team is able to win baseball games, and the bats have responded to that with run support. No. 31 has shown no signs of slowing down, and there is a chance that this kind of dominance could resume throughout the summer.

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