Latest / CBN Sports 1-ON-1 / EP. 13 Why Cleveland Guardians Parker Messick Prays Before Every Start
Transcript
- Will Dawson: Welcome to CBN Sports One on One, where you'll hear exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in sports right here on the CBN Sports Podcast Network. I'm your host, Will Dawson. If you're like most of us and you love sports, but you're tired of the dark side of sports culture, me focused athletes, or even organizations that bow to an unbiblical belief system, we think you're gonna love this podcast. There's no yelling, no sensationalism. Just great conversations with athletes and coaches who recognize that their purpose is bigger than their sport. Well, today we have one of the best pitchers in baseball, Parker Mesick. ESPN senior baseball writer named Parker the Cleveland Guardians' first half MVP and recognized him as a legitimate Csy Young Award contender. For those who don't know, the Cy Young Award is given to the league's best pitcher. And Parker ranks third overall in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. I didn't mention Parker Mesick is in his first full season in the major leagues. Incredible. I sat down with Parker recently in Cleveland, and you'll hear Parker share how a family miracle strengthened his trust in God, why he prays before every start, and how his identity is found not in baseball, but in Jesus Christ. Let's jump right in. All right, so Parker, as we sit here recording on July 31st, 2026, we are not even a full year into your professional career. You're a rookie this year because you just made your debut on August twentieth of last year. Has it really struck you yet being not just a major leaguer, but being an all star, challenging for a division? That's a lot of stuff within a year. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, I feel like I got thrown into the fire last year. You know, we were we were on a little losing streak and then we ended up coming back from a I think it was fifteen and a half game deficit and winning our division. So I mean, ever since that day, the debut it's just felt like a a whirlwind and Yeah, I'm just super, super grateful to be a part of everything that the Lord's blessed me with. Is it tough? I mean, to be in the public eye, to be one of the best catchers in the American league this season. Do you have to kind of keep all of that in perspective? It can be tough. I think I think the majority of the time, you know, we're we're we're always so busy. You don't really have time to see a lot of things and whether positive or negative. And I think everything just goes by so fast. And I think, you know, having Faith rooted in Christ, you know, kind of eliminates some of that bad stuff, just kind of washes it away. So don't have to don't have to worry about it too much. But, you know, I just try to use a platform for the for the right reason, not the wrong one. Well, I wanted to interject here because I I'm getting ready to ask Parker a question that really kind of shaped his spiritual life moving forward into his adult years. When he was a junior in high school, his grandfather, who happened to be a mentor to him and really kind of shaped him spiritually, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is By many accounts, a death sentence. Parker, in a recent interview with Sports Spectrum, revealed that for the first time. And so I asked Parker about that and how it affected him moving forward. You grew up in a Christian home. Your junior year in high school, though, you found out that your grandfather had been diagnosed pancreatic cancer. How did you handle that diagnosis? What was your response? when you found out that he was in recovery. And then how how has that kind of shaped your faith moving forward as an adult? Yeah. So that whole situation was just like a huge shock. It was a a very big spiritual awakening for me because he has always pretty much been the the spiritual leader of our family. So yeah, when we found out about that, it was just like a a huge shock. And I think we just went, you know, straight into prayer, like leaning on the healing power, the whole healing power of the Lord. And you know, what whatever that I honestly that was all blur and whatever time frame, I think it was a week, two, maybe three weeks where, you know, he went back in to like see what was actually going on and then it was all gone, just kinda realize that, you know, wow, Lord like you really hear us, you're real, you want that relationship with with us and, you know, you have all the power in the world to do whatever you please. And, you know, when I think it was a com you know, it was it was the Lord's will all along, but I think it really drew A lot of people in my family, a lot of my friends that were close to my grandpa as well, and just my whole town like drew them closer to to see the Lord's power. I I think that's something that we take for granted when God blesses us with adversity, with things that scare us and make us fearful. his sovereignty is something that I try to think about to remind myself. He said he has the power to do whatever he wants to, and that's completely true. He put you here in Cleveland. He gave you the abilities that he did. How thankful are you, I guess, that he has brought you this far? Yeah, I I don't think I'll ever be able to be thankful enough for everything that he's blessed me with. And it's something, you know, that I I strive to do every day and and glorifying him for just taking me from, you know, small town country kid, just like being very rooted in family and joining family and friends and being so like almost like sheltered to the outside world and then all of a sudden just within a matter of four to five years just exploded onto an entirely different platform and none of it would be possible if, you know if it wasn't for my relationship with him. I don't believe that I would be in this position if it wasn't for that. I fully believe that I'm I'm sitting in this chair right now to be able to glorify his name and and tell people, you know, it doesn't matter who you are, he's he's able to take the lowliest and and take him to the to the highest places. when they honor him and I just I try and live by that every single day. Speaking of glorifying his name, when you take the mountain, before you take the mound, you visibly pray. Is that as much a public proclamation as it is a a prayer for God help me? Yeah, it's it's both. And there's a lot of prayers for for God to help me on the on the day of of my starts, you know, I pray before my I pray at my locker before I walk out. I I pray pretty much all morning Or more conversation based to and then I pray on center field went right when I start warming up. So when I go out on the mound, it's kind of just like that's right before I throw my first pitch. And it's like me saying, Okay, God, you know, I'm here. This is all for you. Let's do it. Keep me healthy and, you know, whatever your will be done. We talked about adversity. Professionally speaking, and granted we're talking about a year, in the big leagues anyway, you haven't really faced that much adversity. When adversity ultimately does come, what and how do you keep that kind of rooted? Yeah, I I think I've had had a couple starts. I've had a start, couple starts that, you know, didn't go my way, stuff really isn't feeling good, and you're kinda like shaking your head, walking off the mound, and you know, you you're sitting at home that night like, I really didn't I hope this doesn't turn into something bigger. Like I really didn't have my best stuff. And, you know, those moments is where I can I can really draw on his strength more, you know, more even more so when I'm feeling good at like those nights where I'm just like, wow, like I'm still here, but you know, I didn't have my best stuff. I just really try and lean into his, you know, true strength and just repurpose myself. Like, okay, it you're why I'm here. It's not it's not to go out there and have everyone say, I'm the greatest pitcher in the world. It's to it's to glorify your name. And I can do that whether I throw good or bad. And, you know, when I have those bad ones, I just get to go home and and reground myself under under what he calls me to be and who he's called me to be. And I think that just makes me show up the next day the same person as I was before those bad starts. And it it doesn't allow those bad starts to turn into to two, three, four, five bad starts in a row. One thing that you talked about at the all star game was your identity and that your identity is rooted in him. That's a lot of what that is, right? No, absolutely. I mean, my identity's completely rooted in him. And I think, you know, I think I said it before that, you know, there's a million different people that try and tell you who you are as a player if you have a bad game. They try to tell you who you are as a player and a person. And they even try and tell your family who they are as people for raising someone who would throw throw a bad game. But you know, that just all goes back to like I that none of that stuff is ever gonna affect me. I know where my faith is rooted and I can say that that for my family as well. When I see you, you you have a joy about you. Is that something that you also kinda hope that other people see? absolutely. That's I you know, I I say I pray all the time. I don't ever really say it out loud. It's like if people see any light in me, Lord, let it be because it's it's the light in you shining through me and allow them to know the the true source. And I I try and live every day like that and I think that passion, it's like my favorite Bible verse, Colossians three, twenty three, and you know, no matter what you do, do it all for the Lord as we're working for God, not human masters. And I think that passion, like stems into the game to where it's I know I'm out here working for the Lord and you know I want to win. Yeah, I want to win for for the team and the game and and all the earthly reasons, but like this is why the Lord put me here. He didn't put me here just, you know, just to lose every time. You know, I want to play hard. I want to play to the best of my ability because I know who I'm working for. And that's that's what I try and do every time I walk out there. And that's what we should do, right? I mean that should make us joyful knowing that he's created this for a purpose. And when you Go home or when you have time. And I know it's difficult because your travel schedule is what it is. Yeah. How do you find time to spend time with God? Yeah, I think a lot of what I've really found out about my faith in Jesus throughout my playing career is that it doesn't have to be like this I'm in church all inspiring moment where you're, you know, you fall to your knees and you're worshiping him, even though those are important and I've had plenty of them. But I think it's a lot more of just like, I'm driving to the field and I'm just talking to him like he's sitting in the passenger seat next to me, or I'm walking out for BP and balls are flying everywhere. And you know, I'm just talking to him in my head, you know, thank you for putting me here. Or, you know, we have some quiet times in the morning and that's where I like to get my devotionals in. And then I always make sure to, you know, read read the word when right before I go to bed. And there's just quiet times where you can find and then just talking to him like he's with you because he is, every every second in between. You do a lot of enjoying what you do and that's that's an awesome thing. Do you feel any responsibility towards the fans or even your teammates? Yeah, I think I think there's some level of like, you know, I I'm new here, but there's some level of like I know what the the Lord called me to do. So that responsibility I think comes just from knowing that I'm I am here to to share his message and to s to spread his love and his joy and I think that's that's the responsibility that I feel. And you know, there's some days that I fail at it, but every day that I fail, it it drives me to to want to push harder for for him. I think I can speak for most Christians out there. We fail a whole lot more than we than we win. No doubt. when when this is all done, and man, who who wants to even think about that? But God doesn't promise us our next breath. No. When it's all said and done, what do you hope that they say about Parker Messick? that I that I love the Lord and that if if anyone knew anything about me, it was of my faith was in Jesus Christ. And if I never pitch another game or if I if if I pitch for another twenty five years, I'm gonna wake up every day and serve him to the best of my ability. And if not, if if it's not baseball, then it'll be, you know, what whatever he calls me to do. What does the name of Jesus mean to you? He's my savior. The name of Jesus has has covered me, saved me from something that I can never save myself from and Y he he's my savior. He's he's the reason that I live and and the name that I'll praise forever. Well Parker's joy is apparent, isn't it? And he's so quick to give glory to God for where he is in his life. I love that he said that if you obey God, he can take the lowliest of the low to the highest of heights. That doesn't mean that everyone's going to become a major league baseball player, but it it reminds me of Proverbs three, five and six, which says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Or Proverbs 37, 4, which says, Delight yourself in the Lord, and he'll give you the desires of your heart. God has created us to give glory to him, and when we honor him first and we walk with him, we'll be joyful, and he'll begin to use you for his glory. It's even better than we could ever hope or imagine. Well, if you enjoyed this podcast, please follow us and also check out our weekly sports show with guests. It's called Fuel the Fire with Will Dawson. You can watch this podcast on YouTube, and we have feature stories with athletes as well, and video shorts. We think you're going to enjoy all of that. So we're on social media. On Instagram, we're at CBN Sports underscore. Just search for us on Facebook, X, and TikTok. And until next week, we'll see you then.