Guardians writer is fighting a losing battle in Kevin McGonigle-Parker Messick debate

Although the Tigers' season is all but over, fans still have something big to look forward to: Kevin McGonigle is going to be the American League Rookie of the Year.

I have no insider information, and I'm not looking at the betting odds, but Tigers fans know that outcome is all but inevitable just by watching McGonigle play everyday.

There are certainly other AL rookies who are deserving of down-ballot votes, most of them in the AL Central — Munetaka Murakami, Parker Messick, Carter Jensen, and so on. However, to not only Tigers fans but fans across baseball, the answer is obvious.

... Unless you're a Guardians fan.

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com entered dangerous territory on Twitter, starting off a post with "No disrespect to Kevin McGonigle," which is immediately a bad start. He went on to extoll Messick's virtues and offer an argument as to why the RotY race should at least be closer than it's currently looking.

He doubled down, too, bringing up McGonigle and Messick's fWAR totals on the season (5.2 for McGonigle, 4.9 for Messick) and then fighting with multiple fans about it in his replies. "Messick has been a frontline arm for a division leader," he wrote. "That should matter."

As much as Tigers fans might hate to admit it, Messick does deserve his flowers. He's given Detroit some grief this year and he's going to continue to do so for years. But to deny McGonigle's absolute dominance among rookies league-wide this year is a fool's errand.

Arguments for Parker Messick to win RotY over Kevin McGonigle will continue to fall on Tigers' fans deaf ears

Comparing pitchers and position players is very much an apples-to-oranges situation, but there's a simple truth at the heart of this: pitchers aren't out there everyday. McGonigle has played in all but five of Detroit's games this season, and his performance has reached heights that only the likes of Mike Trout, Ichiro Suzuki, and Ted Williams have reached.

He isn't and won't be the flashiest player out there, but his talent is immense and his everyday value to the Tigers' lineup has been the most remarkable thing about an otherwise disappointing season.

"On a contender" shouldn't matter, either. Postseason performance isn't taken into account in award voting, and players aren't (or shouldn't) be evaluated within the context of their team's record, not when there are so many other factors that affect that kind of overall success.

Castrovince insisted that he only suggested the race be closer, which is his prerogative. Tigers fans don't need to see McGonigle win the award unanimously ... but we are going to see him in it. That's just a fact.

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