Cleveland Guardians' Parker Messick is one of just three pitchers in MLB history to accomplish this impressive feat.
Parker Messick was always a respected prospect in the Cleveland Guardians organization as he made his way through the farm system.
Did he have the potential of being the ace of a staff one day? Not quiet, but Messick has proven that he may have been overlooked in that respect, considering what he’s done to this point in his young career.
The left-hander is proving that, as long as you have elite command and can control where the ball is going, you’re going to have success.
Messick has made 18 starts since he was promoted by Cleveland last August. In those outings, he has a 2.42 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. So far
There are only three pitchers in MLB history who have an ERA below 2.00, more than 100 strikeouts, and fewer than 30 walks through their first 18 starts. Messick is one of them, and the other two are current Cy Young candidate Paul Skenes and past superstar pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
Both of those pitchers were some of MLB’s top pitching prospects of their generation, and lived up to the hype. Again, Messick may not have received the same recognition Skenes or Strasburg did as he made his way through Cleveland’s farm system, but he’s certainly matching the success they had, and in Skenes’ case, currently having, at the big-league level.
May 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesThe irony of this stat is that both Skenes and Strasburg are known for their elite fastball velocity, with their heaters routinely topping out in the high 90s and even triple digits. On the other hand, Messick would be happy if his fastball were 93 mph during any given start.
That said, the lack of velocity just goes to show how much of a true pitcher Messick is, with the best example being in his continued development.
In Messick’s seven starts in 2025, he only had a strikeout rate of 23 percent. Even though the left-hander was filling up the zone, he still needed to find a way to generate more swing misses.
So, over the offseason, Messick reworked his arsenal, added a pitch, and now has a 28 percent strike rate, which is in the 82nd percentile.
Messick’s next start will come against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon, where he’ll look to continue the historic start of his career for the Guardians.
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