Cam Schlittler will have to learn to channel his energy

Cam Schlittler is an excellent pitcher. He'll be a key player for the New York Yankees for many years to come.

But sometimes, he can be a little intense. His tense relationship with Red Sox fans is proof of that: he likes to call out people who aren't on his side.

And the Yankees have figured that out.

In an article on The Athletic, journalist Chris Kirschner (who covers the Yankees) highlighted an unusual situation.

Before his starts, Cam Schlittler's coaches show him videos. And sometimes, those are people who doubt him.

This serves as motivation for him before his starts.

Recently, it was a clip of Jared Carrabis (who hates the Yankees and makes absolutely no secret of it) talking on a podcast about Schlittler's apparent decline.

That motivated him. His next two outings were excellent.

We can all agree that if the approach works, so much the better. Plus, Carrabis is happy to be making headlines.

But what I'm going to call the “Maurice Richard technique” can't be sustainable in the long run in 2026. A guy can't just beat himself up every time he gets criticized to bring out his best.

It doesn't work that way anymore.

At some point, Schlittler is going to have to be able to motivate himself without always relying on others to do it for him. It's not sustainable in the long run.

He needs to realize that his immense talent allows him to make a difference.

He is who he is, and he'll probably always need to get motivated by others' comments. But someday, that will have to take up less of his life, and the videos won't be a tradition before every race.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.