Jacob Misiorowski has already made Milwaukee’s October picture feel different. The 24-year-old right-hander brings a fastball that has reached 105.5 mph, the memory of a 15-strikeout shutout, and the loose confidence of a pitcher who still talks Pokémon cards with strangers. As the Brewers prepare to open the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers on Sunday night, Pat Murphy sees a star who remains far from finished.
“The Miz” has gone from a high-leverage bullpen weapon last postseason to one of the most overpowering starters in the National League in 2026. He earned his second straight All-Star selection, helped Milwaukee secure a fourth consecutive division crown, and produced a season that has invited comparisons with some of the game’s most dominant hit-suppressing campaigns.
A season that changed the rotation
- Misiorowski first showed his October nerve last year, when Milwaukee used him as a hard-throwing reliever.
- He moved fully into the starting role in 2026 and quickly became one of the Brewers’ biggest weapons.
- In June, he held Philadelphia to one hit in a complete-game shutout, facing 27 batters and striking out 15.
- Later in the season, he registered 105.5 mph against the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong.
- By September, as Milwaukee closed in on another division title, Murphy said Misiorowski was only beginning to understand his potential despite the wear of a long season.
Murphy’s assessment was not small praise. He called Misiorowski a pitcher with electric material who is still learning the craft, saying the right-hander has the chance to become “really, really special.”
Misiorowski has felt that rare sensation himself. The Phillies shutout carried a weightless quality, he said, and he recalled a similar feeling from a postseason outing against the Cubs, when everything on the mound seemed to slow down.
That is useful territory for the Brewers entering Game 1 of the NLCS. Milwaukee and Los Angeles are scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET first pitch Sunday, with the game airing on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
The work behind the velocity
For all the attention paid to the radar gun, Misiorowski’s message to young pitchers is not to chase the biggest possible number. He learned that trying to throw at maximum effort can get in the way of development. His advice is to build repeatable mechanics and dependable velocity rather than obsessing over touching 100 mph every pitch.
“Don’t strive for max effort, strive for reliability,” he said, emphasizing that repetition is the difficult foundation beneath pitching success.
He has also found a different comfort level in the clubhouse and on the mound. Misiorowski said the biggest change from last season has been accepting that failure is part of the job and trusting teammates to support him through it.
There is plenty left on his personal to-do list. He wants to sharpen both his slider and changeup, even after a year in which his raw stuff made him one of baseball’s most difficult at-bats. The work that once competed with nightly video games has become part of the appeal. He now enjoys the training, including the rush he gets after a workout.
The road from junior college
- Misiorowski began to believe professional baseball was possible when Division I programs started recruiting him.
- He committed to Oklahoma State during his junior year of high school.
- When the COVID-19 pandemic led to program cuts and reduced his scholarship, he chose a more affordable junior-college route.
- He attended Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, a move he believes helped accelerate his path to the draft.
- Three years later, he had reached the Major Leagues.
The choice worked out for both player and club. The Brewers now have a pitcher who can overwhelm hitters with premium velocity while continuing to build the secondary pitches and command that could make him even more complete.
A familiar face away from the ballpark
Misiorowski’s rising profile has changed everyday life. He said a trip to Target can bring recognition, and the attention can become overwhelming when excited young fans crowd around him. Still, he considers the experience mostly a positive one.
His connection with kids may have as much to do with Pokémon as baseball. Misiorowski collects cards and remains a devoted fan of the games, an interest that started with his father buying sports cards and grew through playing Pokémon on a Nintendo Game Boy.
One of his favorite recent encounters came in a card shop, where he talked Pokémon with a young customer who initially had no idea he was speaking with a Brewers pitcher. The boy’s father let the conversation unfold, and only afterward explained who Misiorowski was. The youngster’s stunned reaction made the moment memorable.
Misiorowski said Pokémon-card stops became a road-trip routine with teammates last year, though much of that group has changed. Jared Koenig was not with the club as regularly, Brandon Woodruff was not traveling, and Rhys Hoskins had departed. Misiorowski still drops into shops when he finds one worth visiting.
His offseason interests fit his Midwest roots, too. He hunts and fishes, and recently bought land in northern Missouri for deer hunting. His fiancée enjoys sewing and embroidery, though Misiorowski said he lacks the patience for it. Pokémon, however, is an interest they share.
That mix of oversized velocity, steady ambition and everyday hobbies has made Misiorowski easy to spot in Milwaukee. The Brewers are counting on the fastball now, but Murphy’s larger point still hangs over the season: the big right-hander has already arrived, and he may still be scratching the surface.
