Parker Messick was one of the best pitchers in the American League this year.
The Cleveland Guardians‘ left-handed pitcher was so good that he’s a finalist for the AL Cy Young award.
Despite that, Messick didn’t win Rookie of the Year in the AL.
Instead, the award went to Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle.
It was a tough beat for Messick, who likely got the short end of the straw for being a pitcher in this race.
We’ve got more details here.
AL Rookie of the Year Voting Totals
Voters could each cast places 1st through 5th on a ballot, and the points added up as an inverse — with a first-place vote worth seven points, then four for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth.
These are the voting results in the AL:
| Player | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) | 28 | 2 | — | — | — | 204 |
| Parker Messick (Guardians) | 2 | 25 | 2 | 1 | — | 122 |
| Payton Tolle (Red Sox) | — | — | 12 | 6 | 6 | 54 |
| Munetaka Murakami (White Sox) | — | 2 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 39 |
| Carter Jensen (Royals) | — | — | 4 | 9 | 1 | 31 |
| Chase DeLauter (Guardians) | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 23 |
| Kazuma Okamoto (Blue Jays) | — | — | 1 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| Tristan Peters (White Sox) | — | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Walbert Ureña (Angels) | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 |
| Sam Antonacci (White Sox) | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 |
| Travis Bazzana (Guardians) | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 |
| Henry Bolte (Athletics) | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Dylan Beavers (Orioles) | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Messick clearly was the second-favorite for the award. He got two first-place votes and 25 second-place votes.
Notably, Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter also got a second-place vote.
Messick just was overwhelmed in the first-place votes by McGonigle.
Why Kevin McGonigle Beat Parker Messick
The reality when it comes to awards like this, much like with the MVP, is that it’s tough to give it to a player who is on the field once every five days compared to an every-day player like the shortstop McGonigle.
Messick was truly, at worst, the third-best pitcher in the AL this season.
McGonigle, though, was a standout middle infielder from the start of the year who got the job done at the plate, in the field and on the base paths.
There’s no shame for Messick in finishing in second place to McGonigle. If anything, it speaks to how strong this rookie class was.
On that table above, there’s a handful of names who might’ve won AL Rookie of the Year in a different season. This time around, they happened to all be competing for one award.
Messick’s special season isn’t diminished by missing on Rookie of the Year. McGonigle deserved it, too.
And the lefty probably won’t be bothered a whole lot by it, anyway. He’s getting married on Sunday.
Why Guardians’ Parker Messick Didn’t Win Rookie of Year Over Kevin McGonigle