Zach Messinger Quietly Builds Esteem In Yankees’ System
In a Double-A Somerset rotation that includes higher-profile arms, 24-year-old righthander Zach Messinger has done well to distinguish himself.
Brock Selvidge and Trystan Vrieling draw more attention, but Messinger has steadily and quietly climbed the ladder. Now, he has established himself as one of the more intriguing starters in the Yankees’ system since being drafted in the 13th round in 2021 out of Virginia.
Messinger tends to be overlooked despite the fact that he stands in at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, but remaining under the radar suits him just fine.
“There’s a lot of other things that go on in life that are much bigger problems than being hyped up on a staff,” Messinger said.
“Hype is earned as well. There’s guys like Brock Selvidge, who have earned the ability . . . the guy comes out of high school, struggles his first year, and has really developed himself into one of the better young arms I’ve seen in our organization. All that is earned.
“This year for me is more about honing in on routines and learning more about myself as a baseball player, as a starter and as a man.”
Messinger was a fastball/slider reliever in college, but his pitch profile has evolved in pro ball since the Yankees made him a starter in 2022. He throws a 92-94 mph four-seam fastball and recently ditched a cutter in favor of a shorter, traditional gyro slider to go with a sweeper and changeup.
That mix has served him well in 2024. Through 15 appearances, he recorded a 3.60 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 25 walks in 80 innings.
“I’m really just continuing to fine-tune the stuff,” Messinger said. “Every week, it’s kind of just building start by start.
“I think (Double-A pitching coach) Brett DeGagne has done a great job of fine-tuning those things and picking apart those starts (by) pulling one thing or two that we both see, not trying to over-complicate things.”
