2 Guardians Pitchers Are Drawing All-Star Hype

With the calendar flipping to June, attention around baseball starts to turn to the potential rosters for the All-Star Game. The Cleveland Guardians are usually well-represented at the annual event, which is befitting their status as one of the American League’s most successful teams.

This season, the Guardians are likely to have some significant players earn the honor for the first time. It would be yet another testament to Cleveland’s development program.

Two Guardians pitchers are drawing All-Star hype, with starters Gavin Williams and Parker Messick in line for their first appearances.

“While [Tanner] Bibee, [Joey] Cantillo and [Slade] Cecconi have collectively been about league-average, Williams and Messick could soon have a new identity: All-Star,” Tyler Kepner wrote. “This season, [Williams] has pitched the most innings, faced the most batters and recorded the most strikeouts in the American League. Since arriving last August, Messick, a second-round pick from Florida State in 2022, has been a revelation in stirrups. Technically still a rookie, Messick is 9-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 19 starts overall, fanning 112 in 109 innings.”

Not only are Williams and Messick worthy of making the team, but each of them is in line to be the starting pitcher against the National League. Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees may be the leading contender at this point, but the Guardians just defeated him on Tuesday in a game started by Cantillo. Williams followed that with a victory facing off against Gerrit Cole.

The Guardians have not had a starting pitcher make the All-Star Game since 2021, when Shane Bieber was selected. They have not had two starting pitchers named since 2018, when Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer represented the AL.

Closer Emmanuel Clase was chosen every year from 2022 through 2024, but he was not named last year, just weeks before he was banished by an MLB gambling investigation. Current Cleveland closer Cade Smith is almost certain to be an All-Star this season. He leads the majors with 21 saves in his first full season in that role, and he holds a five-save lead over Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL.

Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez has made the All-Star team the past five seasons and six of the past seven, and he is likely to be a fringe reserve candidate this year if he is not voted in as a starter. Outfielder Steven Kwan has been named the past two years but will not be chosen this year after slumping for most of the season.

Hopefully, Williams and Messick will continue to pitch as they have been, and it will be impossible to ignore them when it is time to name the AL team this year.