New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone believes Cam Schlittler entered the conversation for another major award after the ace's latest masterful performance.
"I think valuable is a good word. He might be the MVP, too," Boone said following Sunday's 2-0 win over the New York Mets, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "He's been awesome. Just an awesome season, and hopefully there's a lot left in the tank."
Schlittler allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out eight over six shutout innings to record the win. He now leads all qualified MLB starters with a 1.95 ERA to go along with a 0.90 WHIP and 228 strikeouts across 184 2/3 innings (31 starts).
The 25-year-old is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young. He's also thrown his name into consideration to become the first pitcher since Clayton Kershaw in 2014 to be awarded MVP honors.
Teammate Aaron Judge, a three-time AL MVP, wasn't ready to give Schlittler the league's top individual honor just yet.
"He's definitely pitching like an MVP, but they've got a Cy Young award for a reason - best pitcher in the game," Judge said. "So, he's got my vote, definitely, for the Cy Young."
Schlittler also downplayed the MVP chatter.
"I don't know anything about that," Schlittler added. "It's a great compliment."
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is considered the frontrunner for AL MVP, while Tampa Bay Rays star third baseman Junior Caminero is in the running as well.
