Photo by Charles Murray

Parker Messick did not win the award Monday night. His season still gave Cleveland plenty to celebrate.

The Guardians pitcher finished second in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s American League Rookie of the Year voting, announced tonight on MLB Network. He is Cleveland’s second runner-up in the last four seasons, joining Tanner Bibee in 2023.

Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle won the award with 28 of the 30 first-place votes. Messick received the other two, finishing with 122 points to McGonigle’s 204. Boston pitcher Payton Tolle placed third.

Messick went 12–9 with a 2.56 ERA and 193 strikeouts across 186⅓ innings…a full season’s workload with little room for opposing hitters.

Nights to remember

His season offered nights that made those numbers feel less like a spreadsheet and more like a promise.

On March 30 at Dodger Stadium, Messick opened his season by holding the two-time defending World Series champions scoreless for six innings. Making only his eighth major league start, he allowed five hits, struck out five and needed just 76 pitches in Cleveland’s 4–2 victory. Against a lineup capable of making a young pitcher rush, he gave the Guardians efficiency and control.

Then came April 16 at Progressive Field. Messick took a no-hitter into the ninth against Baltimore, putting Cleveland within three outs of its first no-hitter since Len Barker’s 1981 perfect game. Leody Taveras ended the bid with a ground-ball single just beyond second baseman Juan Brito’s reach. Another single followed, and Messick departed to a standing ovation. He finished with nine strikeouts, two walks and two hits allowed over eight-plus innings in another 4–2 win.

 

Standing ovation as Parker Messick exits the game in the 9th after his bid for a no-hitter broken up. What an outing for Messick! #GuardsBall https://t.co/jmQef9Ph7U

— Natalie (@nats_sportschat) April 17, 2026

The crowd had grown loud enough that Messick said he needed to cover his ear with his glove to hear his PitchCom device. That is the kind of detail an ERA cannot capture: a ballpark leaning into every pitch, and a rookie trying to keep the next one from becoming bigger than the task in front of him.

Austin Hedges caught the March 30 win in Los Angeles, and his partnership with Messick came into sharper focus during the near no-hitter against Baltimore. Afterward, Messick credited the veteran’s game plans and reading of hitters: “all I have to do is go out there and execute, and that’s it.” Hedges, in turn, praised Messick’s ability to use six pitches against righties and lefties, giving hitters different speeds and shapes to cover. Their postgame appearance offered a lighter glimpse of that relationship: sitting beside Messick, Hedges joked, “It’s your day, kid.” The rookie had the spotlight, but he was quick to share the credit.

 

I asked Parker about Hedges behind the plate tonight and Messick talks about the confidence he has with the veteran catcher. #GuardsBall https://t.co/cW8TFeT2df

— Natalie (@nats_sportschat) April 17, 2026

Faith beyond the mound

For Messick, there was another conversation happening amid that noise. After the Baltimore game, he described praying between innings and leaning on the Lord’s strength before turning his attention back to execution. When the no-hit bid disappeared, his response included a telling phrase: “It might happen for me one day, if the Lord wills.” The disappointment was real; so was the faith he brought to it.

That faith in God is not simply a postgame acknowledgment. In his public accounts, Messick describes his relationship with Jesus as central to who he is, beyond the wins, losses and opinions that surround a major league pitcher. Speaking on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, he said, “I know who my Savior is.” The point was identity, not a guarantee of baseball success.

Off the field, he shared that part of his life with fans at the Guardians’ Faith Day on August 29. Messick spoke about his grandfather’s recovery, which he regards as an experience of God’s work in his family, and the commitment to faith that followed. His testimony included the words, “I know what You did on the cross, and I’ll live for You forever.”

 

Parker Messick talks to fans Saturday during Guardians Faith day #GuardsBall https://t.co/ZgqemJqEz9

— Natalie (@nats_sportschat) August 29, 2026

Those accounts give the season a more personal shape. Messick can pursue excellence on the mound without asking a scorebook…or an awards ballott…to provide his entire sense of worth. His own words frame faith as something he carries through the extraordinary nights and the disappointments alike.

Messick’s recognition extends beyond the rookie class. He is an American League Cy Young Award finalist, with the winner scheduled to be announced Wednesday, November 11. His season earned consideration among the league’s leading pitchers, not just its newcomers.

McGonigle owns the Rookie of the Year title. Messick’s story is larger than his place on that ballot: six scoreless innings in Los Angeles, a brush with history in Cleveland and a faith he says anchors the person beneath the uniform. Second place tells us how the voting ended. It does not tell the whole story of the pitcher.