Parker Messick and Gavin Williams are perfect co-aces for Guardians' rotation

At face value, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams couldn’t look (and pitch) more different. 

There’s Williams, a hulking 6-foot-6 right-handed pitching machine with a 96 mile per hour fastball that he routinely blows by hitters. And then there’s Messick, a six-foot left-handed dynamo with 26th percentile fastball (average speed of 93 mph) but an incredible feel for the strike zone. 

But those differences haven’t stopped either of their ascents in the Guardians’ rotation. Not only have they both carried no-hitters in the ninth inning at one point over the past eight months, but they also have staked their claims as co-aces for Cleveland’s starting rotation. 

While great starting pitching is nothing new to Guardians fans, Messick’s ascent and Williams’ leap have become one of the best stories in recent Cleveland baseball history. 

Parker Messick and Gavin Wiliams could lead Guardians' rotation for years to come

Messick nearly sent that storyline into the stratosphere on Thursday night when he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Orioles before Leody Taveras led the ninth off with a single. 

It was Messick at his best, as he kept hitters off balance with his fastball, changeup and curveball. That changeup is by far his best offering, as nine of the 18 whiffs he generated in the outing came on his changeup (hitters have posted a 47.1% whiff rate against it this season). 

While hitters know it’s coming, they still struggle to hit thanks to its movement and late life. The start also pushed Messick’s career ERA to 2.07 through his first 11 starts. Even if that’s an unsustainable pace, it’s clear that Messick has what it takes to be a frontline MLB starter. 

Not bad for a guy who was fighting for the final spot in the rotation in spring training. 

Messick’s no-hitter bid was the longest by a Guardians hitter since Gavin Williams spun 8 1/3 innings against the Mets last August. Williams has arguably gotten even better in the time since that start, as he finished last year on a tear and has posted a 2.12 ERA through his first five starts of the season. 

The biggest reason for Williams’ ascent has been a rise in his swing-and-miss stuff. Although he always was able to get batters to whiff, he finished last year with 173 strikeouts and entered play on Monday with an AL-leading 40 strikeouts. 

Although he still struggles with walks (14.8% walk rate), 11 of the 17 free passes he’s allowed came in two starts where he said he lost his mechanics. By no means is he perfect, but it’s clear that he’s ready to pitch with the pressure that comes with being the staff No. 1. 

And, at this point, it seems clear that he’s the No. 1 starter on the staff. It looked like that was going to be Tanner Bibee after he signed his extension last spring and was tabbed to make the Opening Day start, but he’s posted a 4.31 ERA in 36 starts since. 

But even if Bibee never ends up becoming the ace the Guardians’ envisioned, they seem to have found two worthy heirs to that throne in Williams and Messick. And, luckily for Guardians fans, both pitchers seem ready to answer the call.

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