Just a few hours after missing out on the American League Rookie of the Year Award, Cleveland Guardians left-hander Parker Messick discussed what ended up being an amazing campaign. Kevin McGonigle beat him in the race for the honor, but a couple of voters had the southpaw first, and many fans did, too.
He said he feels blessed to share the clubhouse and field with his teammates, and that he achieved his main goal for the year.
“I’ve been blessed with the team I’m playing for. They’re great with their arms. Our training staff, strength conditioning, pitching coaches, everyone kind of partners together. That really helped me as a rookie. It was a blessing to be able to go in and be with people who wanted to help me succeed and be out on the field every time,” Messick said, per MLB.com.
After fighting for a rotation spot in spring training, Messick achieved his objective: he was ready to take the ball every time the Guardians wanted him to take it. And he did it a whopping 32 times.
In those 32 starts, Messick managed to put up some impressive numbers that earned him being runner-up in the AL ROY race and also a place among the AL Cy Young finalists. He pitched 186.1 innings, close to the team lead held by Tanner Bibee with 188, and posted an elite 2.56 ERA with 193 strikeouts.
In 2026, Messick blossomed into the Guardians’ ace, flirted with 200 strikeouts, came awfully close to pitching a no-hitter, and experienced and contributed to a long postseason run that included an exciting, come-from-behind victory over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Division Series. It was an eventful campaign filled with success, happiness, and achievements.
The most important takeaway is that Cleveland went from having questions about the top of its rotation to having two aces: Messick and Gavin Williams. The Guardians showed they have what it takes to compete with the best teams, and more will be expected from Messick and his teammates in 2027.
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