Why This Star Rookie Is Brewers' World Series 'X-Factor'

"It will be fascinating to see how the Brewers utilize rookie Jacob Misiorowski this October. He burst onto the scene this summer and made the All-Star team after five career starts," McCullough wrote. "The next act was a lot less riveting. In his first six starts after the Midsummer Classic, Misiorowski posted a 6.45 ERA and completed five innings just once. His stuff remains eye-popping. The Miz throws a fastball that averages 99 mph and a slider that sits at 94 mph.

"When he can harness those pitches for strikes, he can be devastating. If he’s right, he can slot into the Brewers’ rotation behind Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff, offering a higher ceiling than fellow starters Quinn Priester and Jose Quintana. Or the team can attempt to use him to lengthen its bullpen, a role in which he excelled at Triple A last year. He can be a real weapon. The Brewers just need to figure out how to best deploy him."

When he's on, Misiorowski is one of the more dominant pitchers in the game. He can pair an explosive 103-mile-per-hour fastball with a wipeout slider that can reach the mid to high 90s, too. His size and length make him even more deceiving to the hitters.

Misiorowski could be used in the starting rotation as the No. 3 or No. 4 starter, but the Brewers could also weaponize him out of the bullpen.

Either way, his production is going to determine a lot of games down the stretch. The Brewers need him to capture the moment in September and October.