One of the hardest things to achieve in baseball is putting together a deep pool of capable MLB starters.
Some of these are homegrown contributors, others are free agent signings, and others come via trade.
The Cleveland Guardians might not sign too many expensive free agents, but strengthen their depth via creative trading, smart drafting, and strong pitching development skills.
Speaking of nice player development practices, they have three specific minor league pitchers who might not enjoy too much name recognition around the league, but have put up excellent numbers in the last two years.
Parker Messick, Austin Peterson, and Matt Wilkinson are minor leaguers today, but tomorrow, they might very well be the Guardians’ internal pitching options should a need in MLB arise.
All three have been magnificent since the start of the 2024 campaign.
“There are only 10 minor league pitchers who have 200+ strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00 since the start of the 2024 season. The Cleveland Guardians have three of them. Parker Messick – 240 SO / 2.83 ERA, Matt Wilkinson – 231 SO / 2.77 ERA, Austin Peterson – 210 SO / 2.37 ERA,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
There are only 10 minor league pitchers that have 200+ strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00 since the start of the 2024 season. The Cleveland #Guardians have three of them.
Parker Messick – 240 SO / 2.83 ERA
Matt Wilkinson – 231 SO / 2.77 ERA
Austin Peterson – 210 SO / 2.37 ERA— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 19, 2025
Messick has been excellent in 2025 and is already in Triple-A, getting ready for his big shot.
He is sporting a 2.83 ERA in 57.1 innings, and even though he has work to do with his control (4.71 walks per nine innings), he also has 75 strikeouts.
Peterson opened the season with a 1.47 ERA in Double-A.
He recently made his first start in Columbus and conceded just two runs in five frames.
Wilkinson is a bit further away and is struggling a bit in High-A, with a 4.83 ERA.
Still, he is brimming with talent and was so good last year that he still meets the criteria outlined in the X post.
Peterson and Messick could become viable alternatives for the big league team later this season.
NEXT: Guardians Linked To Promising Shortstop Prospect In Latest Mock Draft
