Schlittler, Rice’s breakout ‘26 campaigns earn All-MLB honors

NEW YORK – There will always be a strong connection between Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler, a pair of underestimated Massachusetts finds who were signed by the same Yankees scout and now appear to be developing into franchise cornerstones.

They attended their first All-Star Game together this past July, walking the concourses of Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park side by side, with Schlittler later saying: “Being mid-round guys and having to work a little bit harder to get up here and embrace that together, it’s special.”

That link deepened on Wednesday when the duo was recognized during the MLB Awards show at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The All-MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards, established in 2019, recognize baseball’s best at each position based on regular-season play.

A unanimous winner of the American League Cy Young Award, Schlittler was selected as an All-MLB First Team starting pitcher, alongside the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski (who won the National League Cy Young Award in a unanimous vote), the Braves’ Chris Sale, the Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease and the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez.

Rice was named to the All-MLB Second Team as the designated hitter. The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez is the DH for the All-MLB First Team.

A seventh-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft from Northeastern University, Schlittler introduced himself on the national stage with a dominant shutdown performance against the Red Sox in last year’s AL Wild Card Series, then raised his game to new heights in his first full Major League season.

Schlittler posted a 14-6 record with a 1.95 ERA, the Yankees’ lowest by a qualified pitcher since Ron Guidry won the 1978 AL Cy Young Award with a 1.74 mark.

The 25-year-old Schlittler ranked second in the Majors in ERA (first in the AL) and was tied for second in wins above replacement among pitchers (6.2, per FanGraphs), third in opponents’ on-base percentage (.244, first in the AL) and tied for third in strikeouts (239, tied for second in the AL).

Yet Schlittler still balks when referred to as an ace, pointing instead to teammates like Gerrit Cole and Max Fried.

“I think an ace is someone that has longevity and success in their career over a handful of seasons,” Schlittler said. “I think I've shown consistency over a year and a half, but I still think we've got a long way to go.”

Schlittler allowed one run or fewer in a Major League-best 21 starts, a franchise record. He said a common trait among all Yankees prospects is their ability to adapt, play under pressure and work hard.

“The goal is to be a Yankee forever when you get drafted by them,” Schlittler said.

Rice was a 12th-round selection from Dartmouth College in the 2021 MLB Draft. The left-handed slugger grew up as a Yanks aficionado in enemy territory, wearing pinstripes to his first-grade picture day and once scrawling “Yankees Rule!” on Fenway Park’s right-field Pesky Pole.

A creature of habit who aims to follow the same routine daily – down to his breakfast of scrambled eggs and avocado toast – Rice boasts a swing tailor-made for Yankee Stadium. He cracked a team-leading 41 home runs to join Joe DiMaggio and Aaron Judge as the only Yankees to hit at least 40 homers within his first three Major League seasons.

The 27-year-old Rice slashed .264/.363/.534 with 24 doubles and 97 RBIs in 154 games. He ranked third in the Majors in slugging (second in the AL) and fourth in OPS (.897, third in the AL) and game-winning RBIs (16, third in the AL). Rice’s 69 extra-base hits were sixth in the Majors and second in the AL.

“It’s a long season. I think you can find success by just being consistent every day,” Rice said. “All of us came up with one another in a way, and now we’re all here in the big leagues. It’s been so cool seeing each guy have success and carve out their own role. It’s definitely a tight-knit group. We take pride in that.”

The All-MLB initiative was introduced to honor players’ full-season contributions, given that All-Star selections are based on first-half performance.

Fans were asked to vote at MLB.com to help choose first- and second-team selections at each position (including three outfielders, a designated hitter, five starting pitchers and two relievers) among this year's nominees.