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Several Guardians Should Be in Contention for Major MLB Awards
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- Several Guardians Should Be in Contention for Major MLB Awards
With the World Series wrapped up and the first transactions of the new league year officially in the books, the next big event on MLB's calendar is award season.
Looking at the major awards, there are a couple of members of the Cleveland Guardians roster who should be in contention to win one of them.
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American League MVP
The Guardians typically have at least one player routinely in the conversation to win the American League MVP: Jose Ramirez. Cleveland's superstar has countless top-three finishes, but has never won the award.
Unfortunately, Ramirez won't be winning the award in 2026. His wrist injury in the middle of June caused him to miss too many games, and even before that, Ramirez's stats just weren't up to par for a typical
Perhaps, 2027 will finally be the year that Ramirez takes home the honor of being named the best overall player in the American League.
Apr 21, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Rookie of the Year
With how young Cleveland's roster typically is, the Guardians usually have a few players with a realistic chance of winning Rookie of the Year, and 2026 is no exception.
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Both Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick did enough to earn the right to, at the very least, be in the conversation to win the award. Chase finished his rookie year with a .820 OPS, and Messick's first full season included a 2.56 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.
It's hard to compare them straight up, with one being a hitter and the other being a pitcher, but each player's stats were among the best when compared to other first-year players at their respective positions.
It feels like a lock that at least one DeLauter or Messick will be named a finalist, if not win the award altogether.
Cy Young
Here's where things get interesting for the Guardians. Cleveland's rotation has two legitimate candidates to win the Cy Young Award this season.
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The first is Gavin Williams, who was among the American League leaders with his 248 strikeouts and finished the season with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.
The other is, yes, the rookie again, Messick. Could a rookie actually take home both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year? Sure, why not? Stephen Vogt was campaigning for just that before the regular season even ended.
It would be unfortunate if neither Williams nor Messick ended up in the top three of the Cy Young voting.
