Parker Messick’s rookie season didn’t just go well - it looked like the kind of year that should have gotten a lot more attention than it did.
The first-time All-Star delivered a 2.56 ERA over 186.1 innings, punched out 193 hitters, and kept the walks down to 2.4 per nine innings. He also piled up 6.3 bWAR, and the workload mattered just as much as the run prevention. Those 186.1 innings were a career high at every level he had reached to this point.
And yet, when the BBWAA votes were counted, McGonigle walked away with 28 of the 30 first-place votes. That left Messick looking like the overlooked name in the race, even if the gap in the ballot count made it clear the outcome was never really in doubt.
Still, if you were measuring value and production instead of just checking boxes by position, Messick’s case was strong enough to make this feel far closer. For anyone who paid attention to how much he meant to the Cleveland Guardians’ success, the race should have at least been competitive.
The 26-year-old left-hander, a former 2022 second-round pick out of Florida State, came into 2026 with momentum after seven appearances last year. He didn’t just hold that level - he sharpened it. The advanced numbers backed up the eye test and then some.
Even without enough innings to qualify in the traditional sense, Messick was being measured against himself here, and the jump was obvious. He had already flashed in the 90th-plus percentile in several areas last season, and this year he managed to sustain those marks over a full workload while also improving where he had previously been vulnerable.
The only area that didn’t glow was breaking ball pitch value, but that hardly dents the overall picture when his best weapon was so clearly the changeup. According to Baseball Savant’s Statcast data, the pitch generated 14 inches of horizontal break and just under 36 inches of vertical drop. Its induced vertical break numbers came in at 1.6 inches, with 14.8 inches of arm-side run.
That one pitch accounted for 71 of his 193 strikeouts and tied him for the second-most changeup strikeouts in Major League Baseball in 2026.
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Tigers Suddenly Have A Chance To Change Their International Reputation
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For Detroit, the interest goes beyond one player. Landing Oda could give the Tigers a rare foothold with Japanese amateurs at a time when more prospects are at least considering skipping Nippon Professional Baseball altogether. If the Tigers can turn that increased spending into a signing like this, it would say something about how they want to be viewed internationally, not just at home in the AL Central. [Read more 🡒]
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Kerry Carpenter may be the most important name in the group because this offseason is about more than simply getting healthy. He was limited by plantar fasciitis in 2026, but Harris said he is healthy now, and the bigger question is whether the Tigers can count on him for a more durable, full-time role next season. For a club trying to sort out its roster and its depth, that kind of health check matters just as much as any transaction. [Read more 🡒]
Raisel Iglesias Could Be The Bullpen Answer Tigers Fans Need
The Tigers moved on from Kenley Jansen after a season that left too many late innings hanging in the balance, and the search for a steadier back-end option has already started to take shape. Jansens numbers trended the wrong way across the board, and his struggles in high-pressure spots only sharpened the need for Detroit to find a reliever who can shorten games instead of extending them.
Raisel Iglesias fits that profile better than most names on the market. He has been one of the more durable and dependable closers in the game, and his 2026 season backed that up with strong save totals and solid pitching metrics, even if there are still some questions about how much hard contact he allows. The catch for any team chasing him is the likely contract length, since his age figures to keep offers in the two-year range. [Read more 🡒]