Tuesday, June 23

Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my second season covering Cleveland for MLB.com.

CHICAGO -- With runners on second and third and two outs in the third inning on Thursday, Guardians lefty Parker Messick fired a 3-2 four-seam fastball to Jake Bauers. After the Brewers’ right fielder swung through the offering, Messick spun around and let out an impassioned yell.

The radar gun read 97.5 mph, which marked the fastest pitch Messick has thrown as a professional.

“Everybody was pumped,” Messick said of the reaction when he returned to the Guardians’ dugout. “That was the best bullet. Everybody was excited.”

Messick has enjoyed a stellar first full big league season this year, logging a 2.70 ERA over 15 starts heading into his outing on Tuesday against the White Sox. Along the way, he has had a noticeable uptick in his four-seam fastball velocity.

Messick’s heater averaged 92.8 mph in seven big league starts last year. This year, it has averaged 93.8 mph. For additional context, the hardest pitch he threw at any level last year was a 96.5 mph four-seamer, in his season-opening start with Triple-A Columbus on April 2.

The harder a pitcher throws, the more margin for error they may have on the mound. What we’re seeing this year is not Messick chasing velocity, but rather a byproduct of the overall work he’s done to sharpen himself as a pitcher since the Guardians landed him in the second round of the 2022 Draft.

“I've just been able to learn every year what is helping me and what hurts me,” Messick said, “and then applying that to the delivery and seeing the best versions of the delivery over a long period of time. Just continuing to find out those things, and then just keep adding on. I don't know when it'll end, but that's what's causing the continual rise [in velocity]."

Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis noted Messick has a consistent work ethic, whether it’s in Spring Training or during an in-season bullpen session. He noted Messick is continually learning how to manage his volume between starts and is learning what works for him.

Messick would gladly throw 98 mph each time if he could. He knows he can succeed while sitting at 93-95 mph; opponents are hitting just .152 against his four-seamer, compared to .302 in 2025. And if he can continue to touch 95-96 mph consistently, it could elevate his game further. 

“His strength and bread and butter is still his offspeed pitches,” Willis said. “Well now, if you add in the velocity, it creates a little more urgency. Hitters don't want to get beat by a fastball. So it's a little more urgency to get on the fastball, and it just makes the other pitches so much harder to hit.”

Messick's changeup has been his bread and butter since high school, and it’s been his second-most thrown pitch this season (24.2 percent usage) behind his four-seamer (31.2 percent). His changeup has a 40.1 percent whiff rate, and opponents have hit .247 against it.

Messick’s arsenal also includes a sinker (17.6 percent usage), a curveball (11 percent), slider (8.1 percent) and cutter (7.8 percent). That’s a lot of pitches for a hitter to account for, and it isn’t any easier when Messick's four-seamer is landing at 95-97 mph. He can attack with it to get ahead in the count, and then get hitters off-balance with his other offerings.

“When you have a better heater and they can’t get the head out on it and can't barrel it up, then it just helps out every other pitch,” Messick said. “For me, when the heater is on, normally everything else follows.”

Messick had seven days of rest between starts before his outing in Milwaukee. Perhaps that played into his velocity uptick; his heater averaged 95.9 mph against the Brewers. His previous season-high came one start prior, on June 10 vs. the Yankees (94.8 mph).

However, Messick has also been working on a mechanical adjustment in recent weeks. He has a quick delivery with many moving parts, and worked on timing up his burst down the mound with precisely when his right foot hits the ground.

Everything clicked in Milwaukee, when Messick allowed two runs over six innings and struck out nine batters. He thinks he can build upon the work he’s put in this year.

“There's going to be outings where you don't feel your best when you walk out there and you’ve got to go pitch and make do with what you have,” Messick said. “The Milwaukee one, that was where everything clicked, and my stuff, slider, heater, everything was up.

"That's going to be the one we go back to, like, ‘OK this is where you’re best. How do we do this every time you go out?’"

Outfielder George Valera will rejoin Columbus this week after the 25-year-old cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Clippers on Sunday. 

The Guardians designated Valera for assignment on June 14, which removed him from the 40-man roster. It came amid a 40-man crunch; Cleveland needed to open a spot for Gabriel Arias, whose activation from the 60-day injured list corresponded with José Ramírez going on the 10-day IL with a left hamate fracture. 

The Guardians had seven days to trade or release Valera, who was available for any team to claim on waivers. Once he cleared, the Guardians were able to outright him.

Valera began the season on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain. The Guardians activated him on April 13, and he hit .216 (8-for-37) with a .534 OPS in sporadic playing time over 13 games. He’s hitting .276 with a .784 OPS over 35 games with Columbus this season.

The Guardians will open a 10-game homestand against the Mariners on Friday. There are several fun special ticket packages scheduled, including Pokémon Go night on Thursday, July 2. With a special ticket, you'll receive a limited-edition Guardians-themed T-shirt featuring your favorite Pokémon Go team. More information is available here.

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