The New York Yankees might be best known for their exorbitant spending, but perhaps no front office has the ability to identify and develop talent from one corner of the United States than Brian Cashman's.
The Yankees found a pair of gems from New England in Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice, drafting each player in the middle rounds from a school better known for its academics than for its baseball program. By 2025, Schlittler and Rice both emerged as indispensable pieces of a team fixated on snapping a championship drought.
For Schlittler, the idea of playing for the Boston Red Sox -- not facing them -- was once his dream.
Here's what you need to know about Schlittler's roots and how he turned his family into Yankees fans.
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Where is Cam Schlittler from?
Schlittler is now a New Yorker, but he was born and raised in Walpole, Massachusetts, southeast of Boston. Schlittler is the son of a police chief in Needham, another suburb in Boston.
Unlike teammate and fellow Massachusetts product Ben Rice, Schlittler did not grow up as a Yankees fan. He grew up as a Red Sox fan in a Red Sox family, something he claims he has already changed as he starts his career in pinstripes.
"I would say growing up in Boston, I take pride in being from Boston," Schlittler told reporters ahead of a postseason start against the Red Sox. "When it came to my career and where I want to be, this is where I want to be," he added, explaining that his family members are "full Yankee guys now."
If Schlittler continues to pitch as well as he has early in his career, he can look forward to annual trips back to Boston as a key piece of the Yankees' rotation.
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Cam Schlittler college
Schlittler stayed close to home and pitched at Northeastern University in Boston before the Yankees drafted him in the seventh round in 2022.
Schlittler posted a stellar 1.88 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in his sophomore season with the Huskies before posting a 3.44 ERA and more elevated 1.19 WHIP in his final season at Northeastern. An increased walk rate and decreased strikeout rate kept him from elevating his MLB Draft stock, but the Yankees still took a chance on Schlittler in the seventh round.
Northeastern has produced exactly a dozen major leaguers, including Aaron Civale, Adam Ottavino and former Rays slugger Carlos Pena, but the Huskies aren't exactly known as an MLB pipeline. When Schlittler was drafted in 2022, he was the first Northeastern player chosen in six years.
Schlittler's first taste of MLB action came before he was drafted, when he faced the Red Sox in 2020 as part of Northeastern's annual spring training exhibition with the big league team.
As the great @ConorFoleyYES pointed out to me… Cam Schlittler’s first time facing Boston: pitching for @GoNUbaseball vs the Red Sox in spring training 2020. pic.twitter.com/PPbRKLPPOm
— Mike Medvin (@MikeMedvin) October 2, 2025
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How old is Cam Schlittler?
Schlittler is 24 years old; he's set to turn 25 in February and is locked in with the Yankees all the way through the 2031 season after being called up late in 2025.
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Cam Schlittler stats
| Season | Starts | IP | ERA | K | BB | WHIP |
| 2025 | 14 | 73.0 | 2.96 | 84 | 31 | 1.22 |
Schlittler debuted just before the All-Star break in 2025 and quickly became one of the Yankees' most efficient starters, posting a 2.96 ERA across 73 innings and striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings.
While control issues surfaced as an issue at times for Schlittler, he walked only one batter in each of his final two starts and allowed no more than one run in seven of his final nine starts to stake his claim for a spot in New York's postseason rotation.