The Cleveland Guardians entered the 2026 campaign hoping that either Gavin Williams or Tanner Bibee could take a step forward in their development and become an ace. While they have both pitched very well, another name has taken over as the franchise’s number one starter.
That guy is Parker Messick. Not blessed with elite fastball velocity, scouts believed he would be good, but not this good. He is now entering uncharted territory in recent franchise history, doing things that no rookie starter on the Guardians has done in years.
After tossing seven strong innings on Friday in a much-needed win against the Chicago White Sox, Messick’s ERA for the season is now a brilliant 2.57 in 136.2 innings. At this point, it’s impossible to chalk this up to luck or anything other than sheer dominance.
When Messick was called up last year and put up a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 MLB innings, some people thought he had gotten a few lucky breaks. At this point, however, the sample is too large to ignore it: the kid is just special.
He is so special that no rookie starter on the Guardians in the last ten years has had a lower ERA and a higher fWAR (Wins Above Average) in a single season, so far at least. Only Aaron Civale, back in 2019, had a lower ERA as a first-year starter at 2.34, but it was just 10 outings. The sample is much larger with Messick, as he has 23 starts in the 2026 campaign.
There’s really no competition in the fWAR leaderboard among rookie starters on the Guardians in the last ten years. Messick has, so far, 3.5 fWAR, 0.5 more than the second-ranked season, courtesy of Bibee when he racked up 3.0 in 2023.
The sky is the limit for Messick, who is just 25 years old and is under cheap team control for five more seasons following 2026. The Guardians hit the jackpot with him, as they will be able to build their rotation around the talented left-hander for years to come. His unique fastball, extension, and elite changeup make him a one-of-a-kind pitcher, one who will be a problem for MLB hitters for quite some time.
NEXT: One Guardians Hitter's Numbers Are Hard To Believe
