Baseball is the ultimate team sport, While you have your stars, theres always a unsung hero that plays a role in making a team run like a well-oiled machine.
For the Cleveland Guardians, that theme may be an understatement given the team's small ball tendencies and usual standings at the bottom of offensive statistics Those unsung heroes, however, are younger and bring skills such as power that the Guardians have longed for in their younger bats.
Due to the loss of José Ramírez for a month due to injury and the team's overall struggles,manager Stephen Vogt has been forced to rely on rookie help to keep the team afloat in the American League Central.
While Ramirez has returned, the results have been mixed with the team getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in a lackluster weekend series, despite the efforts of a rookie pitcher who is among the names of rookies that have stepped up for the Guardians this season.
Here are the rookies who have been key contributors for the Guardians this season.
The Guardians have three rookies who have looked great this season
Parker Messick
Messick has been brilliant for the Guardians in the time since he made his debut last season, as he made a name for himself with key starts during the Guardians' wild comeback in the American League Central.
He picked up where he left off at the start of this season, and was arguably the anchor of the Guardians' rotation despite not having the official role of ace. He took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Orioles in April, and finished the first month of the season with a 1.73 ERA.
He had a fantastic 2.70 ERA at the All-Star Break, and was the first pitcher out of the AL bullpen in the Midsummer Classic.
While he has won just two of his last nine starts, it hasn't been his fault. His latest tough luck loss was a 7 2/3 inning gem against the Rays where the Guardian's only hit was a leadoff double from Steven Kwan.
Messick has already made a name for himself and looks to be one of the better back-end rotation arms in the league.
Travis Bazzana
A former No. 1 pick, Bazzana has spent the first three months of his big league career showing why he earned that selection
Despite concerns about health and his overall offensive game, Bazzana has managed to hold his own at the big league level.
He's played in 77 games this season and has just .241, but he's made up for it with nine home runs and a .339 on-base percentage. He's also in the 79th percentile in walk rate.
He's helped keep the Guardians afloat with some big games like his multi-homer outing against the Astros and his walk-off home run against the Pirates.
His combo of discipline and power has lifted his OPS to .705, among the best on the team
Bazzana has also shown the ability to hit from multiple positions in the lineup, which is key not only from a lineup flexibility standpoint, but could point towards a future as a leadoff hitter after a stint at the spot.
TRAVIS BAZZANA WALK-OFF HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/wxPgF5Baqj
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026
Chase DeLauter
Delauter was the first of the offensive rookies to make his official debut after playing in last year's Wild Card Series against the Tigers. He immediately made his presence felt this year by homering twice in his first game of the season and four times in the first three games.
While he did cool off in April as pitchers adjusted before suffering an injury in June, he's torn the cover off the ball since returning from injury. He's slashed .320/.373/.520 with four home runs in 25 games since returning from the injured list.
With a unique swing and power that can strike fear into any pitcher, his impact in the top to middle of the lineup will be critical as this Guardians lineup seeks to push towards October with a relatively easy schedule in August.
DeLauter and Bazzana will be key pieces of the puzzle to ensuring the offense can wake up from its slump and finally give Messick the run support needed to support his stellar outings on the mound.
