Schlittler and Benge reach the final three. Their cases look different.

Cam Schlittler and Carson Benge have reached the final three in their respective BBWAA award races. For New York, the announcement brings two very different arguments: a pitcher whose run prevention stands out against his closest competitors, and a rookie whose strongest case draws on several parts of his offensive game.

The BBWAA’s November 2 announcement lists the Yankees’ Schlittler alongside Toronto’s Dylan Cease and Cleveland’s Parker Messick for the American League Cy Young. The Mets’ Benge joins Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart and St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt for National League Rookie of the Year.

These are the top three finishers in voting completed before the postseason. Monday’s announcement revealed who remains in contention publicly; the ballots have already been cast.

Schlittler combines prevention with workload

Schlittler finished with a 1.95 ERA across 193⅔ innings. He struck out 239 and walked 49. Among these three finalists, he supplied the most innings, the lowest ERA and a share of the highest strikeout total.

Cease matched those 239 strikeouts in 169 innings, which gives him the higher strikeout rate: 12.73 per nine innings against Schlittler’s 11.11. That is Cease’s strongest answer to a comparison led by workload and ERA. His 78 walks, however, were 29 more than Schlittler’s in 24⅔ fewer innings.

Messick’s 186⅓ innings, 2.56 ERA and 49 walks provide another substantial season. He struck out 193. Schlittler’s advantage over him is not simply an extra seven and one-third innings; it is 46 additional strikeouts with the same walk total.

Those figures make Schlittler our choice among the three on this comparison. ERA also reflects defense, park and sequencing, so it cannot settle every question about pitching quality. Here, the combination of innings, strikeouts and control supplies support beyond the ERA column.

Benge’s case extends beyond the home-run column

Benge hit .282/.346/.430 with 20 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 156 games. His .346 on-base percentage was the highest of the three NL rookie finalists. His 22 steals also led this group, although stolen-base totals alone do not measure every part of baserunning value.

Stewart presents the strongest power countercase: 32 home runs, a .457 slugging percentage and 112 RBI while appearing in all 162 games. His .787 OPS narrowly exceeds Benge’s .776. RBI also depend on the opportunities teammates create, but the home-run and slugging advantages belong squarely in Stewart’s argument.

Wetherholt finished at .242/.339/.365 with 17 home runs and 14 steals in 139 games. Benge’s offensive line compares well with both rivals, but this batting comparison does not settle the full award. Defensive position, fielding and total playing value still matter. Stewart’s extra power makes Benge’s race less clear-cut than Schlittler’s pitching comparison.

When the results arrive

MLB Network’s announcement shows begin at 7 p.m. Eastern: Rookie of the Year on November 9, Manager of the Year on November 10, Reliever of the Year and Cy Young on November 11, and MVP on November 12. The BBWAA has listed the finalists alphabetically, not in their eventual finishing order.