MLB commissioner defends adding Brewers pitcher to All-Star Game

Milwaukee Brewers rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski is one of the hottest names in Major League Baseball right now given the electric start to his career. He's not only dominated in his first handful of games, he's also lighting up the radar gun and throwing some of the nastiest pitches in baseball. 

He is a truly must-see player. He is also one of the most polarizing and controversial players in Tuesday's All-Star Game following his addition to the roster as an injury replacement.

The issue at hand isn't Misiorowski's ability — it's the fact he's only played in five Major League games, does not have the typical half-season resume of an All-Star and was selected over several veterans having great seasons.

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred defended the decision to include Misiorowski, via ESPN:

Manfred said he made the decision based on "the excitement that was going to be generated, the fan interest in seeing this guy" and adding a competitive pitcher to the game.

"He's a very, very good pitcher on a very, very good run right now," Manfred told the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "Do I understand five starts is short? Yeah, I do. And do I want to make that the norm? No, I don't. But I think it was the right decision given where we were."

As much as the decision might have enraged players around the league — specifically the Philadelphia Phillies players who wanted to see Cristopher Sanchez or Ranger Suarez get the honor — or old-school fans that still put the game on a pedestal, Manfred is absolutely right with his logic here.

The game of baseball, and the way it's watched and consumed, has changed dramatically over the past few years and decades. This is especially true of the All-Star Game. 

It's not just about being productive. It's about velocity, exit velocity, pitch movement, analytics and highlight reel plays and pitches that pop off the screen. The increase in information, as well as social media accounts (like the Pitching Ninja), have made immediate stars out of players that do individual things well. Call them the Statcast All-Stars if you want. 

People are going to tune in for that. They are going to want to see it.

Baseball scored a huge win a year ago when Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes not only made the game after just 11 starts, but also started the game for the National League. He was the talk of the league and people wanted to see him go against the likes of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.

The league is clearly trying to recapture that magic with Misiorowski. It might not work since Misiorowski is not actually starting the game, and did not have the same arrival into the league as Skenes did, but he is still the talk of the league right now.