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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 24: Pitcher Parker Messick #77 of the Cleveland Guardians smiles in the dugout after retiring the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning of a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 24, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Scott Strazzante\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Parker Messick has been everything the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> could\u2019ve hoped for during the 2026 MLB season.<\/p>\n Despite that, he still might miss out on the American League Rookie of the Year award.<\/p>\n MLB\u2019s official social media account put out the latest rankings by their panelists to predict the award, and Messick is currently slotted to finish as the runner-up.<\/p>\n Ahead of Messick? Kevin McGonigle, the Detroit Tigers<\/a>\u2018 rookie shortstop.<\/p>\n Their list includes White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami third, Red Sox<\/a> lefty Payton Tolle fourth, and White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters fifth:<\/p>\n Kevin McGonigle continues to sit atop the AL Rookie of the Year Poll \ud83e\udd29 pic.twitter.com\/6ZyxXaEBoQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLB (@MLB) September 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s still about a month left for this to shift, but it\u2019s a tough break for Messick if he misses out on the award.<\/p>\n Some years have stronger candidates to win than others, and this season is one of those.<\/p>\n McGonigle has a great case, to be fair.<\/p>\n Messick has a stellar argument, too.<\/p>\n Murakami has been strong for the White Sox after being a star in Japan \u2014 less of a true rookie, but still a guy who many years might win this award.<\/p>\n Tolle and Peters have been cool stories in their own ways, too, so it\u2019s definitely an impressive race.<\/p>\n Parker Messick\u2019s Rookie of the Year Case<\/p>\n Messick will win the argument for anyone who puts a strong weight on an impressive starting pitcher.<\/p>\n He has been available all season long, making 27 starts through the beginning of September.<\/p>\n In those outings, Messick has a 2.46 ERA in 161.0 innings, allowing 121 hits and 43 walks for a 1.02 WHIP.<\/p>\n Messick has struck out 161 batters for a perfect ratio of one strikeout per inning, and he has limited home runs to less than a homer per nine innings (0.8).<\/p>\n His ERA+ is 168, meaning he has been 68% better than league average.<\/p>\n Kevin McGonigle\u2019s Rookie of the Year Case<\/p>\n McGonigle wins out for anyone who appreciates a position player who is in the lineup every day, as opposed to a pitcher who goes once every five days.<\/p>\n The 22-year old shortstop has hit .274 with 14 homers and 12 steals. He has a .789 OPS.<\/p>\n McGonigle also plays a premium defensive position, and Baseball Reference lists him as being worth 6.0 overall Wins Above Replacement, a fantastic mark.<\/p>\n His OPS+ is 121, for comparison\u2019s sake to that ERA+ stat for Messick. This means McGonigle, at the plate, has been 21% better than league average.<\/p>\n As laid out above, it\u2019s tough that anyone has to lose this race.<\/p>\n Messick could also have the argument on his side that the Guardians are having a better season than the Tigers, but that works in the reverse. McGonigle has propped up a Detroit team that would be floundering even worse without him.<\/p>\n Both teams are certainly glad to have these young stars, and there will likely be many battles between them for years to come. This is just the start for these AL Central phenoms, along with the likes of Detroit\u2019s Max Clark and Cleveland\u2019s Angel Genao.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tBilly Heyen<\/a> Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim’s basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men’s national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \t