Guardians' Parker Messick felt like he was "floating" in major league debut.
Guardians No. 12 prospect shines in MLB debut originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Cleveland Guardians called up their No. 12 prospect, and top three pitching prospect, Parker Messick, on Wednesday to make his MLB debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Messick was drafted in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Guardians out of Florida State. The left-handed pitcher won the ACC pitcher of the year honor in 2021, and ranked fifth in the country with 144 strikeouts in his senior year.
The Guardians signed Messick for $1.3 million, and he was named a Double-A Eastern League All-Star last year with a 2.06 ERA.
How Did Messick Fare in His MLB Debut?
In the middle of a wild card race, the Guardians called up their No. 12 prospect to make his major league debut on Wednesday afternoon, and Messick did not disappoint.
"It was a great debut. Great outing no matter if it’s your first, your last, anywhere in between,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Attacking the strike zone, making big pitches, getting weak contact, quick outs. Got us deep into the game and gave us a chance to win."
Messick threw 6.2 innings and gave up just one run on seven hits and a walk, and struck out six batters. The young left-hander threw an efficient 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes.
The Guardians' rookie allowed his lone run in the first inning and kept the Diamondbacks scoreless afterward. Messick ended his outing getting six of the last seven batters he faced out, including three straight strikeouts.
“I felt like I was floating,” Messick said. “I still do. I don’t know when I’ll come down from it. I know it’s my debut, but we’re trying to win. They called me up to try and win, so I tried to just calm myself down and get back into the game and focus on what I need to do to help the team win.”
Tremendous MLB debut today by Cleveland #Guardians 24-year-old LHP Parker Messick as he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings of work striking out six D-Backs batters!
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 20, 2025
Line - 6.2(IP) 7H 1R 1ER 1BB 6SO
(83 Pitches 56 Strikes)#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/Bw2l3jpZQB
Messick left the game with his team up 2-1, but the Diamondbacks responded with a run in the ninth and tenth innings to earn a walk off victory.
Despite the loss, Messick shined in his debut. Fellow Guardians' starting pitcher Gavin Williams was impressed with the rookie's outing, and reminisced on his debut from 2023.
“You’ve got so much stuff you’ve got to worry about. It’s your first time here and you want to perform, but there’s also a job you’ve got to do,” Williams said Wednesday looking back to his first outing. “I’m excited for Parker. I’ve been watching him in Triple-A and Double-A, and it’s amazing what he can do and how he pitches.”
Williams gave up four runs across 5.2 innings in his debut, but followed that with seven shutout innings and six strikeouts in his second career start. Now two years later, Williams leads the Guardians starting rotation with a 3.24 ERA across a career-high 25 starts in 2025.
Messick put on a clinic in his major league debut, and the Guardians have demonstrated the ability to develop their young pitchers. The rookie southpaw could be an interesting piece for the Guardians rotation going forward.
Category: Baseball
