Yankees' Cam Schlittler has 7.4-degree change to thank for hot start to 2026 MLB season

The New York Yankees' ceiling has raised considerably thanks to the early dominance of Cam Schlittler.

What does Schlittler himself have to thank for the improvement? It's looking like arm angle might be a key factor.

Last season, when Schlittler threw his four-seam fastball, his arm was releasing the heater at about 41 degrees.

Now, he's at 48 degrees.

The official rise in arm angle is 7.4 degrees for Schlittler through two starts, according to Baseball Savant.

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There are a lot of reasons this can matter, but the basic premise is that the fastball spins differently depending on the angle from which it is released.

A look at Schlittler's Savant page shows that his 4-seamer has a bit less vertical drop and a bit-more arm-side run than it did last season. 

He's also throwing a sinker and a cutter a lot more than he did, which isn't reflected in this specific arm-angle data, but it likely all works together.

Regardless, the Yankees will want Schlittler to keep doing what he's doing. Right now, he's almost unhittable.

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