Cleveland Guardians outfielder Petey Halpin stole the show with a three-run home run on Wednesday in the team's 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Parker Messick's performance on the mound should not be overlooked, though. Although Messick did surrender a three-run home run to Tommy Pham, he still turned in another strong outing. The southpaw allowed just three total runs across six innings of work while striking out eight hitters en route to his 12th win of the season.

It's easy to forget that Messick is still a rookie. He's unquestionably in the American League Rookie of the Year Award race, and he's emerging as an AL Cy Young candidate as well. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made his thoughts clear on Messick's Rookie of the Year and Cy Young candidacy after the game, via Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland.

“What he's done this year… Keep talking about Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, he needs to be in those conversations,” Vogt told reporters. “It's real. What he's doing is real. It's been super consistent.”

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Messick, 25, has recorded a stellar 2.57 ERA across 30 starts. He has 186 strikeouts in his 178.1 innings of work. The Guardians — who are now in first place in the American League Central thanks to their victory on Wednesday — would not be where they are without Messick's performance on the mound.

Winning the AL Cy Young Award with pitchers such as Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease in the conversation will prove to be a challenge, but Messick could realistically be a top three finalist. Meanwhile, Messick is a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year, as the Detroit Tigers' Kevin McGonigle represents his biggest competition.