3 things Parker Messick can do to be at his best for the Guardians in 2026

With Opening Day quickly approaching, the Guardians are in the process of nailing down the final spots on their roster.

And one of those spots is going to go to starting pitcher Parker Messick, who was recently secured the final spot in the Guardians' roster thanks to Logan Allen being sent down to Triple-A.

Messick entered play on Tuesday with a 3.62 ERA through 15 innings, which helped him earn that spot in the rotation after he impressed in his first taste of big league action last season.

Messick ended up making seven starts for the Guardians last year, where he had a 2.72 ERA in 39 2/3 innings, while showing positive metrics in key stats for a pitcher of his profile including top percentiles in walk rate and hard-hit rate

Here are the three things that he needs to do to keep that success going in 2026.

Parker Messick is one of the best pitchers in the Guardians' system

Continue executing with his changeup

It’s no secret that Messick’s changeup is his bread and butter pitch, as he threw it 23% of the time last season.

However that changeup could be even better in 2026 thanks to how it could impact his fastball. His fastball normally sits around 91 miles per hour, but its late run away from righties and gets into the hands for left-handed hitters.

If Messick can keep commanding his changeup, than his fastball should be even better.

Deal with the bumps and bruises that come during a 162-game season

Messick didn’t face a ton of struggles last season sans his final start last season against Detroit. This season will present tougher lineups from the get go, with his first start projected to come against the Dodgers and their super-powered lineup.

Messick could also line up to face off against the Cubs, Braves and Orioles early in the season as well.

Those hitters are bound to beat Messick at some point, but the most important thing will be how he adjusts and handles that adversity.

If Messick is able to bounce back without losing a step, he could be even better than he was last season.

Spinning the breaking ball 

Messick's breaking balls were among some of the best in baseball last season, as hitters managed to bat just .160 against his slider and .056 against his curveball, albeit in small sample sizes.

He doesn't have overpowering velocity, so he's going to need to continue that success with at least one of the pitch types so hitters will stay off-balance and be unable to square him up consistently. If he's able to continue that success with both pitches that he has a chance to make a major impact as a solid back-of-the-rotation starter.

If Messick can put all three together than maybe his future will be even brighter than initially projected.