Jacob Misiorowski Is Becoming All That Was Promised

Laying the Foundation for Growth

Misiorowski didn’t have the ending to his rookie campaign that he was hoping for. After bursting onto the scene and famously earning an All-Star nod after making just five starts last season, Misiorowski pitched to a 5.36 ERA in his final 10 starts after the All-Star break.

His WHIP went from 0.90 before the break to 1.46 afterwards, as his opponent batting average rose over 100 points from a measly .138 to .257.

It even reached a point where the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t quite know what to expect out of the young flamethrower in the postseason, and it was clear that there would be growing pains as he gets acclimated to the big leagues.

But, in hindsight, what Misiorowski did in the postseason was a clear sign of what’s to come and a testament to his growth as a pitcher.

In 12 innings last October, Misiorowski allowed just two runs (1.50 ERA) while punching out 16 (34.8%) and walking just three (6.5%). He held opponents to a .163 average with a WHIP of just 0.83 following an opener in each of his three postseason appearances.

I said it at the time and I will say it again: those results were certainly awesome to see, but what stood out most of all was the poise he demonstrated on baseball’s biggest stage. Getting that experience in such high-leverage situations — on top of rising to the challenge — was going to be enormous for his long-term development as a pitcher.

While it’s only been eight starts, Misiorowski has already taken a massive step forward in his development this season and looks like the ace he was promised to be when he broke into MLB last season.

Improving By the Start

In eight starts and 44 innings pitched, Misiorowski holds a 2.45 ERA (12th in the National League), a .161 opponent average (second in MLB), and a WHIP of 0.95 (sixth in the NL). However, those metrics only tell part of the story.

After striking out nearly 12 hitters pre nine innings in MLB last season, Misiorowski has somehow found a way to improve those results while also taking a step forward with his command.

Misiorowski paces MLB in strikeouts with 70, and his 39.5% strikeout rate and 14.32 K/9 each lead the majors among qualified starters. As mentioned, he’s cut his walk rate by nearly two percent, yielding a 29.9% strikeout-minus-walk rate that is the best in the major leagues.

Opponents are simply flailing at his pitches at the moment, as he’s increased his overall whiff rate from 29.7% last season to 39.2% in 2026, a mark that’s the best in MLB (among qualified arms) and is nearly three percent better than the next closest pitcher (Dylan Cease, 36.4%).

More importantly, it’s his pitches within the strike zone that hitters are struggling to make contact with. His 71.3% in-zone contact rate is over a seven-percent drop from last season and is the lowest in the major leagues (among qualified arms) by over three percent.

On top of the absurd swing-and-miss numbers, he’s getting hitters to chase at an above-average clip and two percent more often than last season. And when hitters do make contact, they’re hardly doing any damage against him.

He’s missing barrels, keeping hitters to just a 3.5% barrel rate that is in the top 10 percent of baseball, posting an average exit velocity of 87.6 mph, and generating a hard-hit rate of 37.6%. It’s been the total package thus far, and improvements across his arsenal have led to such great success.

What’s Changed?

Take it from one of the best hitters this game has ever seen, Aaron Judge, after he faced off with Misiorowski over the weekend: “It’s one of the best fastballs I’ve ever seen.”

That level of praise from a hitter like Judge is significant to say the least.

Not only does Misiorowski’s four-seam sit 99.5 mph, but he also generates an astounding 7.5 feet of extension, the best mark in the major leagues, and he releases it from a 30° arm angle with ride and run. It’s truly the perfect combination of factors that makes it one of the best overall pitches in baseball.

Misiorowski gets 16 inches of induced vertical break on his fastball, and he has added nearly an extra two inches of arm-side movement this year as well, going from 9.4 inches last season to 11.3 inches in 2026.

On top of showing an impressive ability to command the pitch at the top of the zone, he’s been able to locate it effectively in all quadrants of the zone — something Judge praised him for. When he’s putting it where he wants to, it’s nearly impossible for a hitter to do anything with it even if they know it’s coming.

For Misiorowski to throw the pitch over 61% of the time and get the results that he’s getting is truly remarkable. The pitch is generating a whiff over 45% of the time, which is the best in Major League Baseball among four-seamers.

In terms of Stuff+ — which is a model that grades the physical characteristics of a pitch, such as release point, velocity, movement, and spin — Misiorowski’s fastball is the best in the majors by a landslide at 130. Among qualified arms, the next closest fastball is Eury Pérez’s at 119.

His bullet slider has been improved this season, too. Though it doesn’t get as much horizontal or vertical break as you’d see with a typical slider, its 94.9 mph average velocity makes it one of the most unique pitches in the sport. Misiorowski’s slider is currently holding opponents to a .111 batting average, .222 slugging percentage, and .170 wOBA.

The thing about his slider is it looks just like his fastball until it doesn’t. Between his extension and the insane velocity that he generates with the slider, hitters have such a difficult time deciphering which pitch is coming at them, getting on hitters before they can process the pitch.

By the time they recognize the slider, its already too late.

But what has really evolved as a crucial pitch for him is his curveball. Compared to his four-seamer, the pitch has over 12 mph of velocity separation, and it generates nearly 24 inches of vertical separation combined with roughly 17 inches of horizontal separation.

In other words, as hitters are gearing up for a tiple-digit heater or a high-90s slider, Misiorowski has a hard-moving curve that drops off the table. Hitters must sit fastball against Misiorowski, so if he can command the curveball well, it’s nearly impossible for hitters to do anything against it. That’s exactly what we are seeing at the onset of the 2026 season.

He’s allowed just three hits on the curveball this season (.120 BA) with no extra-base hits. Its whiff rate has increased nearly six percent, its average launch angle has dropped from 10 degrees last season to -1 degrees this year, and its hard-hit rate is down over 10% to just 28.6% in 2026.

Against his curve, hitters are making contact less often, and when they do make contact, it’s weaker quality and on the ground more often than not. Though he throws it just a hair under 14% of the time, he and William Contreras have done a great job picking and choosing when to break the pitch out.

All three of his primary offerings work beautifully off one another, and the success of one pitch often has a direct impact on the effectiveness of the rest of his arsenal. Through his first eight turns though the rotation, he’s exuberayting confidence in each one of his pitches, which is a nightmare recipe for opposing hitters.

An Ace in the Making

When Misiorowski broke into MLB, he was quite raw as a pitcher — and, as mentioned, he still is in some regards. The velocity was there, but he didn’t always know where it was going, and innings could often spiral on him if his control got out of hand.

But he is evolving into something much more with each start we are watching. Stuff wise, his arsenal is as good as it has ever been. But he’s made strides as a pitcher, not just a hard thrower.

He’s gaining confidence with his fastball seemingly with each start, and a better feel for his secondaries and an improved awareness of where he expects those pitches to be is taking his game to a new level.

Not to mention he has demonstrated an improved ability to keep his composure on the mound, something that’s crucial in his development as an ace that won’t show up in the box score or on Baseball Savant. While emotion is part of what makes Misiorowski who he is, he’s learning to channel that energy and heighten his focus throughout his starts.

We often see pitchers struggle out of the gate in their sophomore seasons, as hitters spend an entire offseason digesting trends, data, and information to adjust to a pitcher’s approach.

For Misiorowski, he’s flipping the script entirely and showing hitters something they have never seen before. Road bumps will come, that’s almost certain, but what he’s displayed to start the 2026 season is more than anybody could have expected from him.

At 24 years old, Misiorowski is far from a finished product and will continue to learn and make adjustments with each start. But for Brewers fans, and general fans of the sport, watching how Misiorowski matures as a future ace in this league will be one of the most exciting storylines to follow in 2026.