Two Starting Pitchers Who Have Surprised the Cleveland Guardians Front Office

To begin the 2026 campaign, two pitchers have emerged as staples in the Cleveland Guardians' rotation.

But before the year began, both were viewed as potential last-in options.

On Sunday, May 31, Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti spoke to local media, offering an update on where the organization was at in numerous areas. He spoke to the growth of Ralphy Velazquez down in Triple-A, how José Ramírez's early-season struggles aren't a concern just yet and other headline-grabbing storylines and conversations.

One topic that stood out, however, was the development of Cleveland's starting rotation, a position group that entered the year as a relatively big unknown. A pair of unexpected contributors, though, have had a major impact on the club's success to begin the year.

"Yeah, continuing that theme of young players continuing to develop, those are two guys that fit into that bucket on the pitching side," Antonetti said. "Parker is building off a great handful of starts last year and not missing a beat coming into this season, and he's been, you know, a real source of stability in our rotation, which is difficult to do for a young player. And I think with Joey, we've seen continued growth and development, and we've seen starts where he's shown his capability to pitch deep into games really effectively against good lineups..."

Neither Cantillo or Messick entered the year with guaranteed long-term roles in the rotation. In fact, both had at one point been down in Triple-A, fighting for time on the bump with the Columbus Clippers.

Whether it was a lack of control, confidence or efficiency, both youngsters were viewed as question marks. Could they actually be staples in a starting rotation?

Well, instead of just filling innings and eating up outs, they have taken off and shone in big-time moments.

Joey Cantillo's Growth on the Bump

As of Tuesday, June 2, Cantillo has gotten 12 starts and is expected to make his 13th against the New York Yankees later that day. Across 58 innings, he has posted a 3.57 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and .238 batting average against.

He hasn't allowed too many batters to get knocks, with him currently owning the lowest total hits allowed of any Guardians starter at a mark of 50. He has walked a fair chunk, but his ability to limit heavy contact has been a major plus.

And while all of those numbers show growth from 2025, his mental game has seen the biggest jump.

He's coming off a bad start, but not enough people are talking about Joey Cantillo's strong start to the campaign. #GuardsBall

"He's been OUTSTANDING for us."

Watch the full episode on https://t.co/dEpyh3RfR8 pic.twitter.com/6lklxNtkHD
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) May 28, 2026

"He's more sure of himself," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said a few weeks back. "I think last year, Joey was really trying to find himself as a big league starter. And what we’ve seen so far, last September and now rolling into this year, is he knows who he is, and he knows what he needs to do to go compete."

In seasons past, Cantillo has allowed games to get out of control once players get on the base paths behind him, but this year, he hasn't wavered or collapsed from such circumstances when they become present.

As long as he can continue to improve his general control and efficiency with the fastball, Cantillo will only become a more reliable arm for Cleveland's rotation.

Parker Messick's Domination

While Cantillo's emergence has been a major positive, few could have predicted the level of production Messick has provided. His breakout performance has significantly raised the Guardians' ceiling.

Before heading into his start against the Boston Red Sox this past weekend, where he tossed a one-run outing across six innings, he had a 2.42 ERA with 108 strikeouts and 25 walks. According to MLB.com's Tim Stebbins, only two pitchers had more strikeouts through their first 18 starts, with those being Herb Score and Danny Salazar.

His ERA, on the other hand, is the lowest by a Cleveland pitcher through their first 18 starts since earned runs became an official stat way back in 1913.

Now, heading out of that contest against the Red Sox, he still has a strong stat sheet with a 2.21 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and .214 batting average against. He also has the least amount of walks allowed of a Guardians starter with 21.

By the time the postseason rolls around, there's a good chance that the Guardians end up giving the ball to both Messick and Cantillo, and obviously Gavin Williams, in the opening series.

Moving forward, while dealing with two young, impressionable players, the Guardians must focus on continuing to build them up.

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