Could Cam Schlittler really be the MVP of the American League this year? It’s a sentence that would have landed a baseball fan in an insane asylum at the beginning of the season, but it is now an idea that has some steam behind it. He’s far from the favorite, but the New York Yankees ace is certainly in the race, which is astounding enough.
How this has come about is what makes the American League so weirdly fascinating this year. It’s true that perhaps the three best baseball teams reside in the National League, and the AL is having a down year. It’s also true that the MVP race is as strange as it’s ever been, hence a pitcher genuinely being in the conversation.
Cam Schlittler for MVP? It’s Not Crazy, But It Is Wild
There are a few factors that have led to Cam Schlittler having an MVP case in the American League. First, he’s been excellent. He has the Cy Young Award pretty much locked down despite a brilliant season from Dylan Cease. To be in the MVP conversation, that has to be true.
Second, the American League has missed some stars this year. Aaron Judge spent 99 days on the Injured List. Cal Raleigh, the 2025 runner-up, has been shockingly dreadful this year. Gunnar Henderson, a popular candidate, has also been pretty disappointing. The lack of top-tier AL teams hasn’t helped, either.
At this point, there are four viable candidates for the award: Cam Schlittler, Yordan Alvarez, Bobby Witt Jr., and Junior Caminero. They each have their own red and green flags, which is why (despite the fact that Alvarez is -20000 to win on FanDuel) they all have a decent case.
Alvarez is fighting for the AL Triple Crown, a historic feat that only partially illustrates his offensive dominance. He’s also the best qualified hitter in the entire sport with a 177 wRC+, 18 points ahead of NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong. He has had a chokehold on the “best hitter in baseball” label this year.
He is a DH, though, which hurts his overall value. Full-time DHs just don’t win MVP awards very much. He is also a bad baserunner. His offensive excellence makes up for it, but his overall value is lower, and he’s not actually going to win the Triple Crown anymore after cooling down in the second half.
Witt Jr. has the AL fWAR lead by half a win over Alvarez (which might speak to how absurdly impressive Alvarez is at the plate), and while sorting by fWAR is not always the ideal way to determine MVP, it’s a great all-encompassing value stat that should absolutely play a role.
But, as mentioned, Alvarez isn’t that far behind, and Witt’s team has been out of contention since May. We’re well past the idea that the MVP has to be on a good team, but when comparing a player on a playoff team (albeit a mediocre one) to a noncompetitive team, it likely does still factor in.
Caminero is the classic best player on the best team (though the Rays are really only the best by record and nothing else, so there’s an argument there). He’s also got 5.0 fWAR, which is a good number, but hardly MVP-worthy. That’s fourth in the AL, and Caminero hasn’t been quite as otherworldly offensively as Alvarez.
And then there’s Cam Schlittler. Typically, for a pitcher to be in the MVP conversation, he has to be having a historic year. Schlittler isn’t, but the lack of elite competition has opened the door. He actually leads all AL players in bWAR with 7.1, and he’s just behind Witt and Alvarez with 5.9 fWAR.
Cam Schlittler is also second in AXE. He is also the lone starter on the team with the best staff ERA to not spend a huge chunk of the season on the IL, hence the value part of the equation.
All this is to say that each player has a case. Alvarez is still highly likely to win it, but the fact that a pitcher is in the conversation and all four contenders have viable cases for the award speaks to how ridiculously weird this season has been for the American League.
