Former FSU baseball standout finally gets his shot to play in the majors

It has been a long road for former FSU baseball standout pitcher Parker Messick. The former ACC Freshman Pitcher of the Year and ACC Pitcher of the Year, and All-ACC selection was the No. 54 overall selection(2nd round) of the 2022 MLB Draft. He signed for 1.3 million with the Cleveland Guardians and has been demolishing batters in the minor leagues ever since.

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I had been on a promotional kick online, stating he deserved a chance to pitch in the Major Leagues. Messick is among the league leaders in nearly every statistical category. Well, it looks like it worked since Messick got the call that he will make his professional debut on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He has appeared in 73 games and has a 3.33 ERA in 345 innings. He has 420 strikeouts against only 125 walks. Opposing batters have only hit .225, and he’s only allowed 30 home runs.

The lefthander uses pinpoint control with a low-90s fastball and devastating changeup, with the confidence to throw it in any count to keep batters off balance. He mixes in some other off-speed pitches as well.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fourth in their division and hit .250 as a team and strike out in 20.5 percent of their at-bats. They hit .245 against left-handed pitchers. The game will be a home game for the Guardians with a 3:40 p.m. start time.

Messick will become the No. 82 former FSU baseball player to appear in the majors, following Cam Smith making his professional debut after making the team out of spring training this year. Congrats to Parker Messick on this huge accomplishment!