Award week has arrived, and the Cleveland Guardians have a chance to make some history right out of the gate. Parker Messick is one of three finalists for AL Rookie of the Year, which will be announced Monday night, along with Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle and Boston’s Payton Tolle. A win would cap one of the best rookie pitching seasons in franchise history. It would also end a stretch of futility that has lasted more than three decades. MLB.com’s Brent Maguire pointed out that Cleveland “hasn’t had a Rookie of the Year winner since Sandy Alomar in 1990.”
“Messick could also break one of the longest droughts in the Majors. Cleveland hasn’t had a Rookie of the Year winner since Sandy Alomar in 1990, the second-longest active drought behind the Padres (Benito Santiago in 1987),” Maguire wrote.
Maguire noted that it is the second longest active drought in baseball, behind only the Padres, who have not had a winner since Benito Santiago in 1987. Alomar, then a 24-year-old catcher, won the award unanimously in his first season in Cleveland and went on to become one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Cleveland’s only other winners are Herb Score in 1955, Chris Chambliss in 1971 and Joe Charboneau in 1980.
Messick would also be the first Cleveland pitcher to win the award since Score. The hard throwing left hander struck out 245 batters as a rookie, a number that still stands out seventy years later.
Messick has a strong case of his own. He went 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA, striking out 193 batters over 186 1/3 innings in 32 starts. He led all AL rookies in wins and strikeouts, made the All-Star team and posted one of the lowest ERAs in the league. His command was historic, too. Only Hall of Famer Don Sutton in 1966 posted a better strikeout-to-walk ratio among rookies who threw at least 180 innings.
He is also a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award, which will be announced Wednesday.
Even if Messick falls short, his rookie campaign has already given Cleveland plenty. His top-three Cy Young finish earned the Guardians an extra pick after the first round of the 2027 draft. He also won the Cleveland writers’ Good Guy Award over the weekend.
36 years is a long time to wait. On Monday night, Guardians fans will find out whether Messick is the one who finally ends it.
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