The Cleveland Guardians might not be playing their best baseball at the moment, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have elite players. It certainly hasn’t been Jose Ramirez’s best season, but the organization has developed a top pitcher who now belongs in the upper echelon of MLB stars.
ESPN ranked MLB’s top 50 players this week in a fun exercise to spark the debate among fans. The Guardians are represented on the list by rookie left-hander Parker Messick.
The southpaw has had to prove everyone wrong since last year. People said he didn’t have what it takes to be a staff ace in the majors, even renowned prospect analysts. That’s the beauty about baseball, though: it’s always full of surprises.
Messick took the next step and is now, firmly and unquestionably, an ace. Kiley McDaniel ranked him 34th on the list and had nothing but good things to say about him.
“I was bullish on Messick’s potential when he was called up to the big leagues, moving him into the middle third of the Top 100 because of his standout feel and changeup along with average-to-above other elements on his scouting card. Though he doesn’t look or throw like a front-line starter, he’s performing like one right away in the big leagues, and as a lefty at that,” McDaniel wrote.
The thing about Messick is that people write off his fastball because it doesn’t have elite velocity. It averages just 93.8 mph, in the 38th percentile among all pitchers. However, he generates above-average extension with it, has some excellent ride, and impeccable command of the pitch. He also knows when and how to use it, and it plays off the rest of his repertoire, which also includes his incredible changeup, a sinker, a curveball, a cutter, and a slider.
The overall package has resulted in a 2.59 ERA over 142.1 innings. He is now one of the top candidates to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. It’s hard to believe that a pitcher with ‘meh’ fastball velocity can be so dominant. Baseball, however, is more than raw tools. It’s how you use the resources you have at your disposal to be the best player you can be.
NEXT: Analyst Raises Questions About Jose Ramirez's Recent Struggles
