Monday brought a pair of award-season nods for Guardians pitchers Parker Messick and Cade Smith.
Messick, the rookie left-hander, was named a finalist by the Baseball Writers Association of America for both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. Smith landed among the finalists for the BBWAA’s newly created Reliever of the Year award.
The winners will be announced starting Nov. 9.
Messick is in the Cy Young mix with Toronto’s Dylan Cease and the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler. For Rookie of the Year, he’s up against Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle and Boston left-hander Payton Tolle.
The only pitcher in history to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season is the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela, who pulled it off in 1981 and sparked Fernandomania along the way.
Messick’s first full big-league season gave the voters plenty to chew on. He finished 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA across 32 starts, piling up 193 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings while holding hitters to a .217 average. In the postseason, he made four more starts and went 0-3 with a 3.95 ERA.
The numbers put him in rare company. Messick is only the fourth rookie starter to post an ERA below 2.60 while throwing at least 150 innings and averaging nine or more strikeouts per nine innings.
The others were Miami’s José Fernández in 2013, Los Angeles’ Hideo Nomo in 1995 and the Mets’ Dwight Gooden in 1984. All three won Rookie of the Year that season.
His 193 strikeouts were also the most by a Cleveland rookie since Herb Score fanned 245 in 1955, a season that earned Score AL Rookie of the Year honors.
Smith’s case is built on a dominant first full season as Cleveland’s closer. He went 6-1 with 41 saves in 46 chances, struck out 107 and walked 23 in 74 innings, and finished with a 1.95 ERA.
That 41-save total puts him in a small club. Smith became just the seventh Cleveland reliever to reach 40 saves in a season, joining Emmanuel Clase (2023 and 2024), Joe Borowski (2007), Bob Wickman (2005), Mike Jackson (1998), Jose Mesa (1995) and Doug Jones (1990).
He also picked up AL reliever of the month honors in May and September. In September, he didn’t allow an earned run over 13 innings, converted all six of his save chances and held opponents to a .073 average.
Smith was a major part of Cleveland’s postseason run as well, appearing in nine of the club’s 11 games and striking out 14 in 11 1/3 innings.
In Other News...
Guardians Trade Buzz Puts Clevelands Outfield Plans Under Pressure
The offseason has already put Cleveland in a familiar spot, with the front office expected to stay active as the market takes shape and the possibility of a lockout after December 1 hovering over everything. Coming off a strong season, the Guardians have reason to keep reworking the roster, and the outfield is one of the areas drawing the most attention as trade discussions begin to heat up.
Steven Kwan has emerged as the more prominent name in the chatter, giving Cleveland a high-value piece that could bring back real help if the club decides to move him. Blake Perkins is also in the mix as a defense-first option, and the fact that both names are being floated suggests the Guardians may be weighing more than one path as they try to balance short-term competitiveness with whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Lost A Key Piece Of Their Pitching Pipeline
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For the Guardians, the timing matters as much as the departure itself. They now have to find someone to step into that lane alongside pitching coach Carl Willis for the 2027 season, and replacing a longtime voice in the room is never a simple matter when a club has leaned on that continuity to shape its pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Lose Another Pitching Voice As Francona Reunites With Familiar Staffer
Another familiar pitching voice is leaving Clevelands staff, with Joe Torres set to take over as the Reds head pitching coach under Terry Francona. Torres has been with the Guardians organization since 2017, working his way through a series of minor league coaching roles before moving into his major league assistant pitching coach job in 2022.
For the Guardians, the move adds another layer of turnover to a pitching group that has leaned on continuity in recent seasons. There is no replacement announced yet, leaving one more opening for the club to sort out as it looks to keep its staff intact heading into the next phase of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]