MLB Draft 2022: Yankees select Cam Schlittler 220th overall

The run on college pitching continues in the seventh round for the Yankees, as they selected Cam Schlittler out of Northeastern University with the 220th overall pick. Schlittler, a 21-year-old righty, was ranked 448th by Baseball America.

Schlittler showed a lot of promise in a breakout 2021 season. He pitched 76.2 innings in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), earning a 1.88 ERA with 85 strikeouts and a 1.017 WHIP. He went to the Cape Cod League that summer, but didn’t find much success there — he allowed 15 earned runs in 25 innings (good for a 5.40 ERA) with 21 strikeouts. 2022 wasn’t quite a step back but it didn’t live up to the expectations Schlittler set, pitching 91.2 innings and posting a 3.44 ERA with 85 strikeouts. He did manage to continue avoiding the long ball, allowing just 0.5 homers per nine innings in his collegiate career.

Schlittler’s got a big build at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, and he can generate solid power with a fastball that sits in the low 90s and occasionally touches 95 mph. Baseball America noted that “there’s nothing plus in the four-pitch mix from Schlittler,” who leads his secondaries with a mid-80s slider that BA called fringe-average. He also throws a changeup and a curveball to show.

Schlittler’s got the potential to stick as a starter if he can reach back to his sophomore form, but he’ll need to develop his secondaries more to stand a chance. He’ll join a big oncoming class of pitchers, becoming the fifth college arm selected in seven opportunities by the Yankees.