Shuckers' Misiorowski brings the heat, fans 12

The Brewers knew when they plucked Jacob Misiorowski in the second round and gave him the biggest bonus in their 2022 Draft class, that the upside junior college righty had the potential to dominate.

Now, a little more than a year since his drafting, Misiorowski is already at Double-A Biloxi – and he’s doing just that. He's dominating.

Milwaukee’s No. 4 prospect was lights-out in the Shuckers’ 3-0 victory over Mississippi on Tuesday, racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts across six innings of one-hit ball in only his fifth start at Double-A. Baseball's No. 38 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline took a no-hitter into the fifth, scattering three walks and a hit batsmen while surrendering only Cody Milligan’s two-out single in his best professional start to date.

It was the most impressive in a growing line of strong outings for Misiorowski, who began the year at Single-A and has already jumped two levels in his first full season of pro ball. He’s now amassed 29 strikeouts across 14 innings over his past three starts, pitching to a 2.57 ERA in those outings.

This after a breezy six-start stop at High-A Wisconsin, where Misiorowski pitched to a 1.90 ERA and 10.6 strikeouts-per-nine in the Midwest League. Prior to that, the hard-throwing righty struck out 46 of the 101 batters he faced in nine starts at Single-A Carolina, pitching to a 3.04 ERA and 15.5 K/9 without a home run allowed.

Overall, the 21-year-old has pitched to a 3.40 ERA with 110 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed in 71 1/3 innings across three levels in his first pro season. He’s also issued 42 walks and hit 17 batters in those 20 starts.

That’s always been the give-and-take with Misiorowski, who combines huge stuff and excellent peripherals and analytics with difficulty controlling the baseball. The 6-foot-7 righty throws hard, with a 70-grade fastball living in the high 90s and routinely hitting triple-digits, as well as a 70-grade, mid-80’s slider with depth and a sharp low-90s cutter. He also features an above average curveball and a developing change; ultimately, it’s four above average pitches and two plus-plus offerings, with strong extension and spin rate figures to boot.

When he’s successful, Misiorowski effectively harnesses that exceptional raw stuff. When he doesn’t, it can go haywire. That was certainly the case during Misiorowski’s quick two-start pro debut at Single-A in 2022, when he walked seven of 14 his batters. He issued seven walks in his first two starts at Biloxi, which led to nine runs in 6 ⅓ innings. His 17 hit batsmen are tied for second-most in MiLB this season.

On Tuesday, Misiorowski showed what it looks like when he's sharp enough to render those control issues a mere footnote -- he was nearly untouchable. With a little more polish, that's the version of Misiorowski the Brewers believe can develop into a front-of-the-rotation starter for years to come.