Two years ago Jacob Misiorowski was a name only prospect nerds knew, a lanky righty out of Crowder College throwing mid-90s in junior college ball before the Brewers popped him in the second round of the 2022 draft. Now he's the best pitcher in baseball, full stop, and the numbers back it up in a way that stops scrolling thumbs.
Codify laid out just how absurd Misiorowski's first half actually is compared to MLB history.
167 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA before the All-Star break isn't just good, it's historically good. Codify's number says the last guy to strike out more hitters with a lower ERA through a first half was Vida Blue in 1971, when Blue was a 21-year-old phenom who'd go on to win both the Cy Young and AL MVP that year. Fifty-five years is a long time for a stat line to sit unmatched, and Misiorowski just walked in and claimed the room.
It's not just the strikeout total, either. He's leading MLB in ERA, WHIP and opponents' batting average, and he's done it while sitting on some of the nastiest stuff in the sport, a fastball that's touched 105.5 mph, third-fastest ever tracked by a starter. That's the kind of velocity that made him an All-Star pick this season, going from a guy who debuted with 5 no-hit innings just over a year ago to the face of the Brewers rotation.
The mechanical changes that turned Miz into a monster. 🔥 https://t.co/n5CwdOPdGE
The breakdown from PitchingNinja is the part that actually explains why this isn't a hot streak. Miz didn't just get lucky, he changed how he throws the ball, and the results have been strikeouts piling up at a rate nobody else in the league is touching, nearly 20 more punchouts than second-place Dylan Cease. When the guy tracking pitch mechanics for a living is breaking down your delivery like it's a case study, you know something real is happening.
The timing stings a little, because Misiorowski got scratched from his scheduled start against the Pirates with arm fatigue and is easing back into throwing rather than pitching the Brewers' first series out of the break. The team isn't expecting an IL stint, and he's reportedly lined up to return against the Mets in the second series after the All-Star game, but any word like 'fatigue' near a 24-year-old with a 105-mph fastball is going to get watched closely.
Beyond the milestone chase, this is a contract story too. The Brewers haven't opened extension talks with Misiorowski, meaning every start between now and free agency eligibility is either building his trade value or making him more expensive to keep. A guy chasing Vida Blue's ghost while sitting on some of the best strikeout stuff in the game is exactly the kind of arm that changes a front office's calculus, one way or another.