Diary of a Yankees fan, as we have been saying over and over, the 2026 season for the Yankees ended at home, getting swept by the Rays, and was a failure. However, Yankee starting pitcher Cam Schlittler deserves the American League Cy Young Award. He was unquestionably the best pitcher in the league; he should have pitched more for the team. However, it does not matter how good your pitching is if you cannot score. The Yankees proved that all season.
Schlittler’s statistics, diary of a Yankees fan, were eye-watering. He had one of the finest seasons in franchise history. The cocky 25-year-old right-hander finished 14-6 with a 1.95 earned run average. That was the lowest earned run average by a Yankee since Ron Guidry’s 1.74 in 1978. Do you think he should win the Cy Young? What about the MVP?
Diary of a Yankees Fan #16: Schlittler was Awesome, the Season was a Disaster
Diary of a Yankees fan: One of the things the Yankees wasted in the 2026 season was a great season by starting pitcher Cam Schlittler. In fact, several Yankees pitchers had great seasons. Not only did Schlittler’s earned run average rank as the lowest since Ron Guidry in 1978, but the team also had the lowest ERA since 1978. Schlittler led the band.
We will not harp on here about the embarrassing and pathetic season the Yankees had; instead, we will celebrate Schlittler. With about a month left in the season, he separated himself. He did that by throwing six shutout innings against the New York Mets. After that masterpiece, there were many all season, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he should get consideration for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Boone has been a frequent target of these Diary of a Yankees fan articles.
Generally, they do not give MVP Awards to pitchers; however, Boone was right: Schlittler was awesome and essential to the team. It is likely that either Yordan Alvarez, of the Houston Astros, and Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays. The latter is now starring in the World Series; the Rays are behind the Brewers three games to zero.
It might be the case that both Alvarez and Caminero will steal votes from each other. Schlittler will have a similar problem, on his own team. Ben Rice made up for the loss of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge by slugging 41 home runs. He will definitely be considered for MVP in the American League. He could finish third and detract from the consideration of his teammate.
However, by the diary of a Yankees fan, Schlittler is the front-runner for the pitcher-specific Cy Young Award. Expect Dylan Cease, the starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays, who is currently starting for the Rays in the World Series.
They say, diary of a Yankees fan, ‘you can put lipstick on a pig, and it is still a pig.’ One way to remedy a bad season is to give the young Schlittler his due. He should win the American League Cy Young Award, providing a bright spot for the franchise. Another bright spot is that both he and Rice were developed by the team. Their youth and the fact that the team developed these players.
Conclusion: When will These Awards be Given?
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will announce its award finalists on MLB Network on Nov. 2, and the Cy Young Award winner will be revealed Nov. 11. The MVP award will be announced the same day, during an award show right after the World Series concludes.
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