The Milwaukee Brewers have seemed to develop another ace-level pitcher. For years, homegrown stars like Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta have headlined the Brewers’ rotation. They were a large reason why the Brewers have made the playoffs in seven of the past eight years. However, with Burnes and Peralta in different uniforms and Woodruff set to be a free agent, they need to find pitchers who can replace them. They appear to have found this replacement in Jacob Misiorowski.
Misiorowski made his major league debut last season, where he showed flashes of brilliance. But since the start of the 2026 season, he has dominated. In 11 starts, he has pitched to a 1.83 ERA over 64 innings, with an MLB-high 100 strikeouts, 19 walks, and a 0.828 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 221. He has also allowed only one run in his last five starts. But how has Misiorowski been so efficient this season, and how can this help the Brewers down the stretch?
How is Jacob Misiorowski so Dominant?
You can not talk about Misiorowski without talking about his fastball. His four seamer is by far the best pitch in his repertoire. According to Baseball Savant, he uses it 62.3% of the time and averages out around 99.8 mph. But most of the time, that fastball is in the triple digits. To use his last start as an example, he threw 57 pitches over 100 mph, the most since they started tracking pitches. He also threw eight pitches at 103 mph or more. These are the type of numbers you only see in video games.
This fastball has made opponents look silly this season. It has produced an opposing batting average of .187 and a wOBA of .265. What’s even more impressive is that his expected numbers are lower than his actual numbers. He has a expect batting average of .184 and xwOBA of .261. This indicates that he’s been getting a bit unlucky with his number. It has also produced a 45.2% Whiff Rate, which ranks among the best in baseball. It’s why this pitcher has generated over half of his strikeout total.
But this four-seamer is not the only effective pitch Misiorowski has. Although he has thrown it only 24.1% of the time this season, his slider has been a nice complement to his four-seamer. While it is not as fast, it still sits at about 94.5 mph and drops 24-35 inches. That combination makes it nearly untouchable. It’s why hitters are batting .111 against it this season. He is also able to place it in the strike zone 56% of the time, getting both swing and misses and called strikes. This is why it’s his second-most-trusted pitch for putting hitters away.
At this point, Misiorowski seems like a lock for the Cy Young Award. There is no other pitcher in the National League who is anywhere close to as good as Misiorowski. Unless he gets hurt or falls apart, he should expect to take home his first of what looks like many Cy Young Awards. He can also be a major reason why the Brewers win the NL Central. Whenever he takes the mound, it’s pretty much a guaranteed win for the Brewers. This is someone they can rely on in late games down the stretch.
Misiorowski is in the middle of a very special season. We could be seeing the beginning of one of the best pitching seasons and careers we have ever seen.
