Guardians' rookie southpaw has emerged as a frontline starter

As with many eventual MLB draft picks, Parker Messick was a two-way player in high school. He did well on the mound and had a good bat, leading him to play his college baseball for Florida State. 

Initially, he was a two-way guy with the Seminoles, but would later focus on just pitching. That would go on to pay off as he was the 2021 ACC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year and held an FSU record with his 6.7 K/BB ratio. 

During the 2022 MLB Draft, he would hear his name called in the second round, being drafted by the Cleveland Guardians. 

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Guardians' rookie southpaw has emerged as a frontline starter

It would only take a few years until Messick got his MLB debut. That would come on August 20th of last season, and this season, he was in the club's Opening Day rotation. 

He has made six starts so far, holding a 3-0 record with a 1.73 ERA and 38 strikeouts on 36.1 innings of work. This has proved to be big as the team entered the 2026 season with no clear ace.

Messick has emerged as a frontline starter, and Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly ranks him as the No. 6 rookie in his latest power rankings. 

"A second-round pick out of Florida State in 2022, Messick has a 2.30 ERA and 2.79 FIP to show across his first 12 MLB starts. If the Guardians are able to get Tanner Bibee back on track, Stephen Vogt will have a pretty impressive trio at the top of the rotation with him, Messick and Gavin Williams."

Kelly mentions that if the Guardians can get Bibee going, who holds a 0-4 record right now, this could be quite the rotation. Cleveland has enough talent not to be overlooked, and they could be a problem if this team stays healthy. 

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