When you look at the top of the leaderboards in any pitching stat this season, two names will dominate the conversation: Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler. It’s no wonder that both will also headline any Cy Young frontrunners discussions two months into the season.
Misiorowski and Schlittler are part of the youth movement sweeping Major League Baseball, as both are only in their second season in the show. But how did they get here? How did these two hurlers go from serviceable rookies to dominant sophomores?
Prospect Background
Misiorowski, 24, comes from Missouri, where he attended Crowder College. He was drafted in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The lanky right-hander stands at 6’7”.
He has been in the Brewers system his whole career. Misiorowski spent four years across five levels in the minor leagues. The righty earned as high as the #32 rank on Baseball America’s Top-100 prospect list, as well as played in the MLB Futures Game in 2023.
Misiorowski’s stats in the minor leagues were good but not eye-popping, as he sported a 3.04 ERA and a 1.190 WHIP over 233.2 innings. What he may have lacked in concrete stats, he made up for in potential, due to his impressive velocity and extension.
He debuted in June of 2025, where he came onto the scene hot, throwing 11 no-hit innings to begin his career. He scuffled towards the end of the season, though, bringing his numbers back down to pedestrian levels.
Schlittler, 25, was born in Massachusetts. He attended Northeastern University in Boston and was also drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft, where the New York Yankees selected him in the seventh round. He also towers over the mound, standing at 6’6”.
Schlittler has also been with the same organization his entire career, spending three seasons with the Yankees’ minor league affiliates. He had similarly good stats across the minors, with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.299 WHIP over 243.1 innings. Schlittler wasn’t a very highly-touted prospect coming up, but his consistency and durability were encouraging for the Yankees’ front office.
He debuted in July of 2025, earning a rotation spot for a very good New York Yankees team. Schlittler would stay in the Yankees rotation into the postseason, where he would start multiple crucial games.
What Changed?
With Misiorowski, it’s just like the real estate market; it all comes down to location, location, location. Now, part of that is simply cutting down on his walks, which he has done significantly. In his rookie season, he walked 11% of the batters he faced, which graded as one of the worst in the league. This season, he has cut that rate down to 7.3%, which places him in the upper half of the majors.
But walk rate isn’t the only thing to look at when you talk about Misiorowski’s location. One of the key focuses of his game this season has been command of his breaking pitches. The statcast run value on his breaking pitches has increased greatly, from -2 in 2025 to 6 in 2026, which would put him in the 94th percentile of the league.
Good breaking pitches are the x-factor for Misiorowski, given how truly elite his fastball is. He has thrown the
12 fastest pitches
by a starter this season, and his four-seam gets an incredible 42.5% whiff rate.
Schlittler, much like Misiorowski, relies heavily on the fastball. He throws some variation of the fastball, whether it be four-seam, sinker, or cutter, over 90% of the time. Also similar to Misiorowski, the main change for him seems to have just been getting in the zone more often.
Schlittler’s walk rate has decreased even more dramatically, down from 10.2% in 2025 to a stellar 4.4% in 2026. He simply is not giving away free passes, which is huge for a starting pitcher looking to go deep into ball games.
The other big adjustment for Schlittler seems to be an increased emphasis on extension. Getting down the mound further can have a huge impact on perceived velocity. This can be especially important for a pitcher who throws such a high percentage of fastballs.
Cy Young Frontrunners
Both pitchers lead their respective leagues in several stats. Both lead in two of the most prevalent (and arguably most important) stats, ERA and WHIP. Misiorowski leads the entire major leagues in strikeouts, while Schlittler leads the majors in K/BB ratio.
The Cy Young conversation is flooded with other familiar names. From Paul Skenes to Shohei Ohtani, many pitchers are dominating so far this season. It cannot be understated, however, how impressively Misiorowski and Schlittler have pitched this season. Their transformation from prospects to some of the best in baseball will continue to draw fans to their games throughout the season.
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