The Cleveland Guardians got a true gem in Parker Messick.
The rookie has been lights out in limited action in the majors, and he looks like a strong candidate to be a mainstay on the team for years to come.
Of course, if you were to ask pitching coach Carl Willis, that wouldn’t be much of a surprise.
When asked about the young star, Willis gushed about his work ethic and the approach he takes to his bullpen sessions:
“Parker Messick throws one of the best bullpens in terms of his purpose and how he tries to tunnel and sequence pitches off of one another,” Willis revealed. “But then his command of those pitches and the standard he holds himself to is impressive. He takes it into the game.”
Messick has looked like a veteran from the very second he set foot on the mound in the majors.
He’s been a welcome addition to a team with a shaky rotation at the most crucial point in the season.
The Guardians’ rotation is peaking at the right time, but they struggled with some inconsistency early in the season.
Messick has been dominant, stayed ahead of the count, and has looked poised and calm on the mound every single time he’s been out there.
The Guardians’ pitching staff has always done an outstanding job of polishing young hurlers, and he’s clearly no exception to that rule.
With him and fellow pitcher Joey Cantillo, they’ve gotten two legitimate options for their rotation in a stretch in which they will have to play 24 games in 24 days.
And while it’s still way too early to tell and he needs to earn his stripes just like everybody else, he looks like a firm candidate to stay in the rotation to close out the year and to start next season.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Gushes About Guardians Infielder
