Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick has had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. The 25-year-old southpaw currently holds a stellar 2.55 ERA, 1.042 WHIP and 3.07 FIP to go along with 191 strikeouts across 183.1 innings of work. While Detroit Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle has played well, Messick has a strong argument for winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award. In fact, he is set to become the first rookie pitcher since Doc Gooden of the New York Mets in 1984 to finish the season with an ERA under 3.00 while making at least 30 starts, according to Jared Greenspan of MLB.com.

Messick has made 31 starts. He's given Cleveland plenty of innings in his rookie year. It will be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank for the postseason, but Messick has not displayed any signs of slowing down. He looks poised to continue to perform well under the bright lights of October baseball.

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Messick's Guardians can clinch a postseason spot on Thursday. While clinching an AL Wild Card position at the very least will give them a safety net, Cleveland's goal is to win the American League Central division. The Guards hold a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox for the division lead at the moment.

Cleveland will play the Red Sox in Boston at 6:45 PM ET in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday night. The Guardians will then travel to Kansas City to finish the regular season against the Royals on the road.