Before he became the favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award in just his second big league season, and before he was thrust to the center of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, Cam Schlittler was a relatively unheralded pitching prospect out of Northeastern University.
A standout at nearby Walpole High School, Schlittler was among a handful of notable Massachusetts-born players who has been recruited by head coach Mike Glavine, the younger brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine, throughout his 12 years as Northeastern baseball’s head coach.
Schlittler enjoyed success on Huntington Avenue, helping lead the Huskies to a conference title and an NCAA tournament berth as a sophomore in 2021, but he wasn’t viewed as a can’t miss arm coming out of college. He went as a seventh-round pick to the Yankees in 2022, and few could have imagined the explosive rise Schlittler would enjoy.
But while it happened much faster than he could have imagined, Glavine said he’s not surprised to see his former pitcher in the mix for a Cy Young Award.
“I’m not completely surprised,” Glavine said. “I’m really not.”
Glavine said seeing Schlittler thrive has been extremely gratifying and that he’s watched just about all of his big league starts since his MLB debut last summer. The thing Glavine said stands out immediately is Schlittler’s vastly improved fastball velocity, which sat low 90s at Northeastern and now averages close to 98 mph with the Yankees, but his elite command and desire to improve were evident from the beginning.
“There’s so many good players out there and I think we’re so quick to judge guys or write guys off or even after a couple of preseason games or something,” Glavine said. “He was developing, and he took the natural path of development. It didn’t happen overnight, he had to work his butt off to get to where he is right now and continue to get better.”
During his three seasons at Northeastern, Schlittler went 14-9 with a 2.62 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 182 innings over 31 games (30 starts). He made an immediate impact as a starter during his pandemic-shortened freshman year in 2020, and Glavine said that while he was much more quiet and reserved in those days, the competitiveness he’s exhibited since reaching the majors became more apparent as his college career went along.
“It’s always been in there,” Glavine said. “He’s a very competitive kid that has a chip on his shoulder and I saw it come out more as he got older.”
Beyond his role as Schlittler’s former coach, Glavine has a particularly unique perspective on the road he’s walking.
Cam Schlittler had a successful college career at Northeastern University, but he was not regarded as a can’t-miss prospect. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
His older brother Tom won two Cy Youngs with the Braves in 1991 and 1998, becoming one of only two Massachusetts-raised pitchers to win the award. The other was Methuen’s Steve Bedrosian, who won the 1987 NL Cy Young with the Phillies, and Schlittler could potentially become the third.
“Being the little brother and watching it all unfold and going through it with my parents and watching our family watch a lot of major league games and seeing Tom go for Cy Youngs and play in World Series, and to see Cam going down that same path brings back a lot of great memories,” Glavine said. “I think I can relate to him in a different way and his family and it’s really incredible to watch it.”
Though Schlittler performed well throughout his rookie year in New York, he truly announced his presence on the big stage last October when he shut down the Red Sox over eight masterful innings in the decisive Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series.
He followed that up with eight brilliant innings in his first start at Fenway Park in April, and Friday night he struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in New York’s 1-0 win. Schlittler has now allowed just two earned runs over 32 1/3 innings with 39 strikeouts in five starts against the Red Sox, postseason included.
Schlittler has also shown a willingness to lean into his place in the rivalry, trolling Red Sox fans on social media by tweeting “drinking dat dirty water” following the playoff win, and Thursday he told the New York Post that the vitriol he and his family have received from Boston fans ever since makes it easy to find that extra gear when facing his childhood club.
“I know Red Sox fans don’t like him too much and I get that, he’s wearing that Yankees uniform and stuff,” Glavine said. “But I think it’s great for the rivalry.”
With his performance Friday, Schlittler is 12-6 on the season with an AL-leading 2.09 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings. He’s been the ace of a Yankees staff that also includes Gerrit Cole and Max Fried, but he will face stiff competition down the stretch from Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease, who also has a strong Cy Young argument with a 2.33 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 150 1/3 innings.
Whatever the future may hold, Glavine is proud of the way Schlittler has handled all of the pressure and attention that has accompanied his rise.
“I do think personally growing up around here, when you can do it in Boston or you can do it in New York, it’s different,” Glavine said. “So to see him doing that for the Yankees and putting himself up there as a finalist for the Cy Young, it’s really incredible to see and I hope he can take it home and finish strong down the stretch.”
Leominster’s Jonathan Santucci, shown here pitching for Duke, was recently called up to Triple-A by the Mets after a dominant run in Double-A. (AP Photo/Kara Durrette)
Who’s got next?
Whether they’re from the Bay State or anywhere else, success stories like Schlittler are few and far between. But this season a number of local players have taken notable steps forward.
Jonathan Santucci, a Leominster native who played at Phillips Andover, is in the midst of a breakout season in the New York Mets system. The former Duke University left-hander was recently called up to Triple-A after striking out 120 batters in 90 2/3 innings at Double-A, posting a 3.57 ERA in the process.
Santucci’s first five outings at Triple-A have been rocky (6.63 ERA in five starts) and his command is still a work in progress, but given the state of the Mets it wouldn’t be surprising to see Santucci get a big league look at some point soon.
Liam Doyle, who starred at Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire before going No. 5 overall to the Cardinals out of the University of Tennessee last summer, has struck out 121 batters with a 3.90 ERA over 92 1/3 innings in his first full season as a professional.
On the other side of the prospect spectrum, Lynn’s Aiven Cabral, who also played for Glavine at Northeastern before being selected as an 18th-round pick by the Braves last summer, has proven himself a steal. Cabral has a 3.01 ERA in 21 games (14 starts) over 104 2/3 innings in his first season as a pro, earning a call-up to High-A after going 8-1 with a 2.54 ERA at Low-A Augusta.
Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby speaks during a news conference. The Rays recently received local approval to move forward with their new $2.3 billion ballpark. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Rays stadium clears key hurdle
After years of setbacks and delays, the Tampa Bay Rays finally appear set to build a new stadium to replace Tropicana Field, securing the franchise’s long-term future in the region.
Earlier this week the Hillsborough County Commission approved its $796 million share of a new mixed-use entertainment district that will be anchored by the Rays’ new 31,000-seat stadium. The Tampa City Council also voted to approve $80 million, and all told the ballpark is expected to cost roughly $2.3 billion, at least $1.3 billion of which will be paid for by the team.
The new ballpark, which will be located in Tampa down the street from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium, is expected to open in 2029.
“We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,” said Rays CEO Ken Babby. “By making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay.”
Approval for the new stadium has been a long time coming. The Rays have been working on finding a new home for decades and originally had an agreement to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg near their current park in late 2024. But that deal fell through after Hurricane Milton caused extensive damage to the area, including to Tropicana Field itself, and then-owner Stu Sternberg sold the team to real estate developer Patrick Zalupski after subsequent efforts failed.
By moving the team across the bridge to Tampa, the Rays may finally solve one of their most intractable issues.
The team has been plagued by low attendance ever since the franchise was founded in 1998, a problem that has persisted even in years when the team is competitive. That’s in part because St. Petersburg is a difficult drive for much of the Tampa Bay metro area, so by moving to Tampa the Rays will immediately become much more accessible to a majority of the region’s population.
Will the Rays suddenly enjoy a 400-game sellout streak like the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning? Probably not, but after three decades of scratching and clawing for relevance, the Rays might finally have a chance to compete on equal footing with their big league peers.