Parker Messick has a chance to do something the Guardians haven’t done in 36 years.
When the AL Rookie of the Year winner is announced Monday night, Cleveland’s left-hander will be in the mix with Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle and Boston’s Payton Tolle. If Messick takes home the award, it would not only put a bow on one of the strongest rookie pitching seasons in franchise history, it would also snap a drought that has stretched back to Sandy Alomar in 1990.
MLB.com’s Brent Maguire highlighted just how long that wait has been, noting that Cleveland “hasn’t had a Rookie of the Year winner since Sandy Alomar in 1990.”
“Messick could also break one of the longest droughts in the Majors. Cleveland hasn’t had a Rookie of the Year winner since Sandy Alomar in 1990, the second-longest active drought behind the Padres (Benito Santiago in 1987),” Maguire wrote.
That puts Cleveland’s run near the top of the wrong list. The Padres are the only team with a longer active gap, having last produced a winner in Benito Santiago in 1987.
Alomar, a 24-year-old catcher at the time, won unanimously in his first season with Cleveland and later became one of the franchise’s most popular players. The Guardians’ other Rookie of the Year winners are Herb Score in 1955, Chris Chambliss in 1971 and Joe Charboneau in 1980.
Messick would also give Cleveland its first pitcher to win the award since Score. Score’s rookie season still looms large, with the hard throwing left hander striking out 245 batters, a mark that continues to stand out seventy years later.
Messick’s own case is strong. He finished 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA, piled up 193 strikeouts across 186 1/3 innings in 32 starts and led all AL rookies in wins and strikeouts.
He also made the All-Star team and put up one of the league’s best ERAs. His command stood out, too, with only Hall of Famer Don Sutton in 1966 posting a better strikeout-to-walk ratio among rookies who threw at least 180 innings.
The hardware conversation isn’t over for him, either. Messick is also a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award, which will be announced Wednesday.
And even if he doesn’t win Rookie of the Year, the season has already delivered for Cleveland. His top-three Cy Young finish brought the Guardians an extra pick after the first round of the 2027 draft, and over the weekend he also won the Cleveland writers’ Good Guy Award.
So Monday night brings a simple question: after 36 years, is Messick the one who finally ends the wait?
In Other News...
Guardians Face A Tough Call On A Top Prospect Soon
Jaison Chourio has climbed steadily through the Guardians minor league system and is now at Triple-A, putting him on the doorstep of a decision Cleveland has been preparing for. The organization is expected to add him to the 40-man roster soon, a move aimed at keeping him out of the Rule 5 Draft and preserving one of the more intriguing young players in the system.
For the Guardians, it is the kind of roster call that comes with both urgency and patience. Chourio is viewed as a top prospect, but he still appears to be about a year away from making a regular impact in the majors, which means Cleveland has to balance protecting his future with the realities of a crowded roster right now. [Read more 🡒]
Former Guardians Prospect Gets Another Shot With A Contender
Christian Cairo is getting another fresh start, this time with a contender that has a long track record of turning depth pieces into useful big league options. The former Guardians prospect was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers from the Mets, adding another stop to a pro career that has already taken him through four organizations over seven seasons without a major league appearance.
For Cleveland fans, Cairo remains one of those familiar names who never quite got the call despite sticking around the game and keeping himself in the mix. The Dodgers made a second roster move the same day by re-signing infielder Tyler Fitzgerald to a minor league deal, a reminder of how quickly the margins can shift for players trying to stay positioned for a breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Another Future Core Infielder On The Rise
Welbyn Franciscas rapid climb has given the Guardians another name to watch in the middle infield pipeline. The 20-year-old switch-hitting infielder from the Dominican Republic signed with Cleveland in 2023 and reached Double-A Akron this season, then backed up that progress with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. That combination was enough to land him at No. 98 on Bleacher Reports Top 100 prospect list, a notable step for a player still early in his professional career.
For a Cleveland system that has long valued homegrown infield talent, Franciscas rise adds to the sense that the organization may have another future core piece developing in plain sight. He is one of four Guardians prospects included on the list, which weighs both current ability and long-term upside, and his placement suggests evaluators are taking notice of how quickly his tools are translating. The next test will be whether he can keep that momentum going as he moves closer to the upper levels. [Read more 🡒]