ESPN’s midseason MVP list says a lot about the Guardians, and not just because Parker Messick landed at No. 34 as the lone Cleveland player to make the cut.
It says even more about how this season has unfolded. With injuries piling up and several regulars not producing enough to carry the load, a starting pitcher has ended up at the center of the conversation in Cleveland. For now, that pitcher is Messick, whose rise has made him arguably the club’s most important player in 2026.
On this week’s Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, Terry Pluto said he kept circling back to the same name when he tried to identify who has meant the most to the Guardians so far.
“He’s 9-7 with a 2.59 ERA,” Pluto said, quoting Messick’s numbers before his Wednesday night start against San Francisco. “And I go, ‘Well, if not him, who?’ ”
The numbers back up the case. Messick entered Wednesday with 142⅓ innings pitched, 142 strikeouts and 40 walks. His WHIP has dropped to 1.03 this season after sitting at 1.31 last year.
That kind of production has made him more than just a pleasant surprise. He’s been steady, efficient and better than expected at every stop, and now he’s doing it in the majors.
ESPN’s Kylie McDaniel went even further, writing that Messick might become the best starter Cleveland has developed in recent memory, a label that would place him ahead of Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and even the peak of Shane Bieber.
Pluto said that may be a stretch, but he also pointed out that the mere fact the debate exists says plenty about Messick’s importance.
The other big takeaway from ESPN’s list is what it did not include: a Guardians position player. Jose Ramirez, usually the engine of the offense and one of the game’s elite players, is still coming back from his hand injury and has not been himself.
“This highlights the biggest problem with the Guardians,” Pluto said. “You don’t even have a position player in this (MVP) discussion. Jose, he doesn’t count.”
That’s the reality Cleveland is living with right now: when the team’s best position player is sidelined or limited, and no one else rises to the moment, the spotlight shifts to the mound. And in this case, it’s shining right on Parker Messick.
In Other News...
Guardians Power Problem Keeps One Old Trade Looking Even Worse
Power has been one of the biggest question marks around Cleveland for a while, so it is hard not to look back at the November 2021 deal that sent Junior Caminero to Tampa Bay in exchange for Tobias Myers. At the time, it was the sort of prospect-for-pitching swap front offices make all the time, but the gap between the two players has only grown since then.
Caminero has since emerged as one of the American Leagues most dangerous power bats, breaking through as a full-time major league regular in 2024 and giving the Rays the kind of middle-of-the-order threat the Guardians can only wish they had more often. Myers, meanwhile, never found much traction in Cleveland and is now in Triple-A with the Mets, which leaves this trade looking like another painful reminder of how much value can disappear when a young slugger gets dealt before the breakout arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough Center Field Decision Fans Can See Coming
The Guardians are staring at one of those decisions that can shape a roster for years, and it is already easy to see why center field is becoming such a focal point. Steven Kwan remains the most established name in the mix, while the organization also has a cluster of younger possibilities in Petey Halpin, Kahlil Watson, Aaron Walton and Jaison Chourio, each bringing a different blend of defense, offense and long-term appeal. For a club that has built so much around finding value before it gets expensive, this is exactly the kind of position where the front office has to balance certainty against upside.
Kwans case is the cleanest in the short term because he has already shown he can handle the job, but the larger question is how far Cleveland wants to go in trying to make him part of the future beyond that. The prospects behind him add intrigue, though none arrives with the same level of certainty, which leaves the Guardians weighing development timelines against the contract realities that usually drive these calls. Center field rarely stays quiet for long, and this is one of those situations where the answer may not be obvious until the club is forced to choose. [Read more 🡒]
Former Guardians Outfielder Just Got Another Shot To Finally Break Through
Johnathan Rodrguez is getting another chance to push his way back into the picture, this time with the Athletics, who claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Pirates and sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas. For a player who has already been designated for assignment by both the Guardians and Orioles this year, the move keeps him in the game and in front of a club that suddenly has room to look for help.
Oaklands outfield injuries could make this a more meaningful landing spot than a typical waiver stop. Rodrguez still has to do the work in Las Vegas, but the path is a little clearer now, and the next stretch could determine whether this becomes just another transaction on his resume or the opening he has been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]