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Should Parker Messick Be a Cy Young Candidate? Guardians’ Skipper Thinks So
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- Should Parker Messick Be a Cy Young Candidate? Guardians’ Skipper Thinks So
Parker Messick forced his way onto the Cleveland Guardians ' Opening Day roster coming out of spring training because of how well he pitched in September of 2025 and throughout training camp.
Even at that point, though, it's hard to imagine where exactly the rookie pitcher would be with just one month left in
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Messick has not just been the most consistent pitcher in Cleveland's starting rotation this season, but has arguably been one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball. Now, Messick's manager is starting to campaign for him to be in contention for the most prestigious award for a pitcher: the Cy Young Award.
After Messick put together another quality start on Sunday afternoon, throwing 6.0 innings and giving up just one earned run with five strikeouts against the Kansas City Royals, Stephen Vogt had this to say about where his pitcher has been this year.
"His command just, he didn't have a whole lot today. And I think that speaks more volumes to Parker Messick and why he needs to continue to be in the Cy Young conversation," Vogt expressed.
"I feel like what he's done, what he's doing every time out, giving us a chance to win, he finds ways to go deep into games and give us a chance to win."
Aug 19, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Sometimes a manager will hype their player up and make a case that they should be an All-Star, MVP, etc., but the stats don't quite support the claim. In this case, though, the numbers absolutely back up what Vogt is saying.
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Messick's 2.46 ERA currently ranks third in the American League, and his 1.02 WHIP is fourth. Cleveland's starter is right up there with New York Yankees' Cam Schlittler and Toronto Blue Jays' ace Dylan Cease.
Plus, Messick made Cleveland franchise history on Sunday afternoon, logging his tenth consecutive start allowing two runs or fewer, which is second in the club record books.
There's still a lot of games to be played, and Messick likely has six or seven more starts ahead before the 2026 season officially comes to an end.
That said, if the rookie continues to pitch as well as he has in these outings, it's going to be hard for voters not to give him some sort of recognition on their ballots.
