The Kevin McGonigle-Parker Messick Rookie of the Year debate has already gone in a direction Tigers fans probably expected: straight into the weeds.
McGonigle’s case is the clean one. Detroit fans have been watching him every day, and the idea that he’ll take home the American League Rookie of the Year feels all but settled even before the season is officially wrapped. There are other rookies worth mentioning in the league, including Munetaka Murakami, Parker Messick, Carter Jensen and a few more in the AL Central, but the conversation still keeps circling back to McGonigle.
Then Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com stepped in and tried to make the race look tighter.
He opened his post with, "No disrespect to Kevin McGonigle," which is usually a sign the other shoe is about to drop. Castrovince then argued for Messick’s value, saying, "No disrespect to Kevin McGonigle, but this should be much closer.
Parker Messick is in running to be a Cy Young finalist on a contender. Only higher K/BB by a rookie with 180+ innings was Don Sutton.
Last rookie to log 30 starts with 2.60 or lower ERA was Dwight Gooden in '84. pic.twitter.com/eTyQu4oTST"
He kept pressing the point from there, citing the two players’ fWAR totals - 5.2 for McGonigle and 4.9 for Messick - and sparred with fans in the replies. "Messick has been a frontline arm for a division leader," he wrote. "That should matter."
And yes, Messick has absolutely earned credit. He has made life difficult for Detroit this year and figures to keep doing that for a while. But the case against McGonigle still doesn’t hold up when you look at how he’s produced.
The biggest separator is simple: Messick is a pitcher, and McGonigle is in the lineup every day. Pitchers and position players don’t live on the same schedule, and McGonigle has appeared in all but five of Detroit’s games this season. His production has climbed into territory that only names like Mike Trout, Ichiro Suzuki and Ted Williams have reached.
He may not be the loudest star in the sport, but his value has been obvious all year. In a season that has gone sideways for Detroit, McGonigle’s everyday impact has been the standout story.
And the "on a contender" argument doesn’t really move the needle. Award voting isn’t supposed to care about postseason results, and it shouldn’t be shaped by team record when so many other factors go into winning baseball games.
Castrovince is entitled to say the race should be closer. Tigers fans are entitled to roll their eyes at that.
They do not need McGonigle to win unanimously. They just need him to win.
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