Parker Messick's Scouting Report
Revisiting Parker Messick's scouting report prior to his Major League debut.
Last night, Parker Messick was announced as Cleveland’s probable starter for today’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Here, I will reshare my scouting report on him from my Spring Training Standouts article, as well as provide additional notes and thoughts since that release. Stats in the original scouting report are accurate as of 6/20/2025, and I will dive into his present day numbers to see how he has fared in Triple-A since then.
Taken from Prospects That Stood Out at Spring Training - Originally released on June 23, 2025
Parker Messick CLE – LHP (24) AAA
Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Changeup: 65 | Command: 50 | OVR: 50
None of Messick’s pitches are incredible stuff wise, except for the changeup. He has a low to mid 90s fastball, a mid 80s slider, and a rarely used curveball. However, his consistent and deceptive movements on the mound make all those pitches play up and keep hitters off balance. He hides the ball well throughout his delivery making it more difficult for the hitter to pick up his release point and be on time. He frequently hits his spots, both in and out of the strike zone, and his mid 80s changeup, which borders on being a double-plus offering, has plenty of depth and movement that generates lots of whiffs and chase. He can throw all his pitches for strikes, making it even harder for the hitter to be on his stuff.
His consistent strike throwing and pitching aptitude give him a backend starter floor, but his general lack of velocity and outstanding pitch shapes limit his ceiling to that of a mid-rotation starter. His feel for pitching is undeniable, and his stuff and command does not drop in quality as the game goes on. He has gotten off to a solid start in Triple-A in 2025, posting a 30.3% K rate, right in line with that he has produced at lower levels of the minors. His command has backed up some, with a 12.3% BB rate so far this season, but I don’t worry about that too much given that he has shown solidly average command at every other minor league stop of his career. I believe he will be a solid 4th or 5th starter in a big-league rotation at some point within the next year, it’s just a matter of getting an opportunity in a Cleveland system that is deep with pitchers who profile similarly to Messick, though I do think he is the best of that group.
Since then, Messick has continued to strike guys out while also regaining the solidly average command that gave him a backend starter floor. In 38.1 IP, Messick has run a 27.0% K rate and a 6.7% BB rate. That’s good for a 4.0 K/BB ratio, which is right in line with what Messick has produced during prior minor league seasons, indicating that his 50 grade command never truly left him. This is not all that surprising as his mechanics are still solid and he repeats his delivery well. While it remains to be seen if Messick’s arsenal will continue to draw as many whiffs as it has in the minors, you can count on him to be competitive with each of his offerings and throw strikes. Overall, Messick finished his first stint in Triple A with a 29.1% K rate, 10.3% BB rate, and a 3.68 FIP. This was good enough for a FIP- of 78, indicating that Messick was 22% better than league average during his time in AAA. Ultimately, these are the type of results you expect to see in the high minors out of a pitcher who has a really good chance to stick as a big league starter and slot into the middle of a rotation. As long as Messick continues to throw strikes and his changeup plays up to its grade against MLB hitters, I don’t see a reason why he cannot be a part of Cleveland’s major league rotation for years to come.