Can Jacob Misiorowski Be Trusted to Start Games in October?

[Jake McKibbin]

Image courtesy of © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacob Misiorowski hasn't hit the ground running after his shin contusion. He's struggled with command against both Cincinnati and Chicago, and has made a consistent theme of letting innings spiral out of control. Those crooked numbers (born of poor situation management) are the last thing you would want in playoff baseball, where every inning and every out is potentially pivotal, but it's also fair to say that the young hurler has had his fair share of misfortune. Let's see if we can find a way to break down his struggles.

First, let's take a look at Baseball Savant's expected metrics. After his Phillies start, Misiorowski has a 4.50 ERA in 48 innings. Nothing flashy there. However, his underlying numbers suggest he's been better than that. He has a .183 expected batting average and .313 expected slugging against him. His expected ERA is 2.76. These are all marks in the upper echelons of baseball.

That's not really surprising. His arsenal is almost unhittable. Even as we look at a times-through-the-order penalty, it seems as though he's performing well multiple times through. He's getting hit harder and higher, but he's still a strikeout machine after the lineup card turns over:

Times Through Order	Strikeout Rate	Walk Rate	xFIP	Hard Hit Rate	Fly Ball Rate	Left on Base
First	38.4%	12.1%	2.68	29.2%	35.4%	86.5%
Second	35.3%	9.4%	3.16	40.4%	51.1%	36.6%

Misiorowski has had a habit of exploding out of the gate, only to find a blow-up frame in the middle innings somewhere. Looking at the above, we can discern that he is getting hit slightly harder the second time through a lineup, albeit still at around an average clip overall. He's giving up more fly balls, too, but the big difference I find here is the left-on-base rate. When runners get on base, they score almost two-thirds of the time. For comparison's sake, the average left-on-base rate is 72.3% this season. When facing someone who can strike out hitters like "the Miz", you could expect that number to be closer to 80% over the course of his career.

Yet, he's struggled to stop innings from snowballing. Part of this may be down to the pitcher, while another part is just bad luck.

His start against the Diamondbacks is a perfect example. He dominated for most of his appearance, striking out 10 hitters across five innings of work with three hits and one walk, but due to a misplay at first base and an untimely home run, he gave up three runs. The home run came at the perfect time for maximum damage; that's at least partially out of Misiorowski's control. He did leave a slider middle-in, but it was a 96-mph slider. Turning on that pitch is no mean feat. That being said:

A Sliding Tweak To His Arsenal
Of all Misiorowski's pitches, the one I perhaps like the least is his hard slider (read "cutter," if your name is Jack Stern). Its shape isn't great, and is more of a "get you off the four-seamer" offering than a strong pitch on its own. The reason he developed it, and still has it as his second-most used pitch, is because he's very comfortable pouring it in when he needs to find the strike zone. He needed this last season when he struggled to locate the fastball, but perhaps not quite so often now that his primary offering's command has improved:

Thomas Nestico's model highlights how Misiorowski has above-average zone rates for each of his main three pitches, but both of his secondaries have their problems. The slider is one he finds easy to locate, but he rarely gets swing-and-miss or chase with this offering, making it less useful when he gets ahead. 

Of the five home runs Misiorowski has given up this season, three have come on his slider. Part of the problem is his velocity differential from the fastball, which hitters are likely sitting on, but it helps them catch the slider slightly out in front and pull it in the air with relative consistency, doing some real damage if he leaves it over the middle of the plate.

It does perform well enough when he can locate it on the outer third to right-handed batters, but it too often drifts over the middle, and that's real danger for this pitch shape. If he was more comfortable nibbling with the slider, I think it may perform better (even despite his current walk issues) and really limit the damage that can come behind it.

In fact, given the counts Misiorowski uses his slider in, that's exactly what should be happening. He utilizes it predominantly to righties, and notice how the usage creeps up both in two-strike counts, and when he gets ahead:

With the profile he has for whiffs on the slider, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Conventional wisdom would say that his slider is a good pitch to initiate weak contact on, but not so much to finish off hitters. The curveball's usage is probably lower than it should be, and honestly, the changeup could also be a good chase pitch off his fastball. The slider, well, there isn't a ton of logic to its current usage, given how it actually plays against big-league hitters.

Pitch Profiler's model above suggests this would bring further benefits. The chart shows how well the pitch on the left hand side (y-axis) matches when thrown after the pitch on the bottom (x-axis). Notice how the slider sets up his fastball and changeup, better than vice-versa. The velocity can speed up, or slow down from there. Hitters aren't swinging much at Misiorowski's first pitch, waiting it out, knowing that they can force deep counts. If he gets ahead, the chances of a slider or curveball coming increase exponentially, and those two pitches are a little more gettable than his heater. If he falls behind, you can sell out early, knowing a fastball is coming your way.

Misiorowski needs to become a little less predictable. It'll help him be more efficient in deeper counts, especially as he's landing his three primary offerings for strikes. He may also gain some benefit from throwing the changeup more to right-handers, as a chase-centric offering. Predictability, even with otherworldly stuff, gives hitters a chance to put the ball in play. His feel for the curveball and its location will likely continue to improve the more he pitches, as with the changeup, but how he uses all three off the fastball will go a long way toward deciding his future success.

Has He Been Unlucky?
The short answer here is yes. His expected FIP, expected ERA, and the quality of contact against him all indicate that his 4.50 ERA at this point is not representative of how he's pitched. He's given up some unfortunately timed long balls, although part of that may come from him tightening up with men on base. He walks more hitters when he lets one man on the basepaths behind him, and that can cause some escalation in moving a runner to scoring position, or the one big hit costing an extra run. It all tallies up, and it's fair to say that, based on Misiorowski's trends in both the major and minor leagues, this is a pattern for him.

More exposure to these situations (and developing confidence in his ability to work through these problems) is the only solution. Whether his confidence goes, he loses focus on the "one-pitch-at-a-time" process, or he just gets tight, it's something that he'll learn how to work through in the moments that matter. Bringing this back to the original question of how much to trust Misiorowski in a playoff situation, that is a concern for now. If the pressure of a regular-season game can hit in this manner, then what will the bright lights in October manage?

So, October?
Misiorowski has the potential to be a game breaker. He can rip open lineups like almost no one else in baseball. He's been unfortunate of late, but if he can force the league to be more uncertain of what pitch comes next (as in his demolition of Kyle Schwarber below), he's still a unique weapon.

He needs to mature on the mound. He'll get there. For now, I would imagine Misiorowski could be unleashed as a starter in October, with a fit, rested Aaron Ashby ready to cover should he begin to find some trouble. Perhaps we'll even see an improved level of focus in the bigger games. Perhaps, though, the better place for him is in the bullpen. It's important to note that, especially since the All-Star break, his velocity declines quickly after his first inning of work. He's down a full mile per hour by his second frame within each game, and another half-tick down for each of the next two.

Maybe that means that adrenaline is helping him through first innings, but then ebbing as his outings continue. That screams out for reassignment to short relief. He does have a tendency to lose command in tight spots. That's not ideal for any pitcher, never mind in playoff baseball. He's also been dreadfully unlucky, though, and perhaps he's miscast in a starting role—at least at this moment in his development.

The reliability of Quinn Priester would probably be favored over the young phenom at this point, but the Brewers should still keep him in their plans for October, one way or another. If it clicks, he might just be the reason they win it all.

View full article

[AKCheesehead]

I don't even want Mis starting games in September let alone October.  He's already at 111 innings on the season.  How much do they want to run that up?  I'd rather have him in the bullpen than have to be shut down altogether.  Last year when he got promoted to Nashville he was used either as an opener or relief pitcher, and aside from a few games with bad command, he did well with it.  As opposed to running him out there for short starts, and using up the remaining bullets he has for the year, I'd use him in relief.  

[rafa]

Geez, this is a no-brainer!  No way does Miz start any playoff games, I didn't need this article to tell me that either.

 

Of course, he's still useful.  As a 2 innings pitcher after the starter, he would help a lot I think.  A nice bridge pitcher to eat up innings, maybe even 3 innings.  

[Brian]

To me right now he is a once threw the order pitcher. 

I'm wondering if that goofy waterbag warmup is taking innings away from him.  Seems a little excessive on game day but I have no problems with him doing that on his off days.  He should have minimum exertion 24-30 hours before a normal warmup to start a game. It's like a marathon runner doing a squat workout an hour before the marathon, no sense at all. 

[BrewerFan]

5 minutes ago, Brian said:

To me right now he is a once threw the order pitcher. 

I'm wondering if that goofy waterbag warmup is taking innings away from him.  Seems a little excessive on game day but I have no problems with him doing that on his off days.  He should have minimum exertion 24-30 hours before a normal warmup to start.  It's like a marathon runner doing a squat workout an hour before the marathon, no sense at all. 

It's hard for me to argue with the way the Brewers strength and conditioning gets a guy ready to go. We have injuries, but it still seems like it's at a low rate than most.

[biedergb]

Short answer is no

This is what many who have been following him for the past few years have seen. Outside of a few stretches, he can have command issues, or blow up innings.

His start to this season and beginning to his MLB career have been great and show a glimmer of hope that he can do this. But right now he is just way to off and unpredictable. 

A long relief (2-3 innings) in September and October would be great.

[BrewerFan]

For me, I'm starting him. He doesn't have to pitch 6-7 innings, BUT he can also push it and you can just let him go. It's the playoffs. 

I'd keep him to 4-5 innings the rest of the year, probably skip him the last time through, but Priester is getting skipped, don't know if/when Hall is going to be back. Sounds like they shut Henderson down, right? I thought he'd be out until Oct 6th. That'd be 60 days so... I suppose he could throw some simulated games in AZ, but.. why risk a shoulder. Especially if it's that capule that Woody had. Just let it completely heal and see him in April 2026. 

 

But I'm throwing him out there, making a team use all their LHH and then piggy back Ashby. If he doesn't have it, you're going to have to get him early, but it'll be the post-season. If he's on and dealing through 5 and at 85, bring him out for the 6th and if someone reaches, go to Ashby. 

I don't know, play it by ear, but I don't really trust anyone else a WHOLE lot more than him. 

Priester is skipping a start, Woody has kinda leveled off. That's fine, he's pitching well, but I like power pitchers. 
The big keys will be getting Hall back... as long as he's completely healthy and Megill. That one is HUGE. 

 

Just gotta see what you can get from some of these other guys. Tobias Myers throwing  97/98. Even if it was a hot gun? I'd love to see him get a start. 

Gasser seems unlikey to make a splash, but hell, who knows. He's back and ready. 

 

 

I remember before the deadline thinking if we could just get one of Duran, Clase, or Felix Bautista, I'd  be willing to give up a top(none Made, Pena Pratt) prospect, but I didn't think it was necessary.  The benefit of hindsight, eh?

[Brian]

4 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

It's hard for me to argue with the way the Brewers strength and conditioning gets a guy ready to go. We have injuries, but it still seems like it's at a low rate than most.

If other pitchers did it on the Brewers or other MLB teams it would be a completely different story but I know of no one else, ever in history who does that.  Miz should do something similar to what Peralta does and just leave it at that. 

[BrewerFan]

8 minutes ago, biedergb said:

Short answer is no

This is what many who have been following him for the past few years have seen. Outside of a few stretches, he can have command issues, or blow up innings.

His start to this season and beginning to his MLB career have been great and show a glimmer of hope that he can do this. But right now he is just way to off and unpredictable. 

A long relief (2-3 innings) in September and October would be great.

But what difference does it make if that's 1-3rd inning of 4th-6th?

We're assuming it'll be 
Peralta
Woody
Priester
Right? So then the question is, Quintana or Misiorowski and whoever we need or Quintana and maybe you get 4IP out of him. As soon as he gets into trouble, yank him. 

But he can also get on a roll and maybe give you 5 overpowering innings. 

It's not like this a series in the middle of this 19 in 18. Just... rum him out there, try and calm him down and I think you could see him deliver one of those epic post-season starts. 5IP, 1H 2BB 0ER. 12Ks. He's got that in him... or he could get 2 2/3 and walk 4 with a WP and need to come out early on. But I would rather go with him to star than Quintana in the playoffs. 

[BrewerFan]

4 minutes ago, Brian said:

If other pitchers did it on the Brewers or other MLB teams it would be a completely different story but I know of no one else, ever in history who does that.  Miz should do something similar to what Peralta does and just leave it at that. 

Paul Skenes pretty famously does it... and I think the Brewers strength and conditioning were the ones who recommended it to Misiorowski. 

 

 

[Brian]

6 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

But I'm throwing him out there, making a team use all their LHH and then piggy back Ashby.

That would cover only about 5 innings though, 6 if your very very lucky. 

[biedergb]

7 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

but I like power pitchers. 

I agree, but I feel this is more like the 2018-2020 playoff teams, and you go with whoever can get you 4-5 innings reliably, and use a guy like Miz and Hall for 1-2 innings a few times, like what we did with Hader and Woody in 2018. At least this team has more than 1 reliable true SP. But this is not Burnes-Woodruff-Peralta-Lauer/Ashby of 2021, but that team had zero offense.

If the offense on this team can stay relevant, then it is on the pitching to get into form. This offense is nowhere near as dangerous as 2018, but it is better than 2021/2023, and the pitching is much better than any run outside of 2021 (that staff was elite)

[BrewerFan]

2 minutes ago, Brian said:

That would cover only about 5 innings though, 6 if your very very lucky. 

Well, it could get you 8, it could get you 5. So what?

We're talking about the playoffs. You have your whole staff and you have days off in-between. Uribe and Megill make that 7. Or they make it 8 as Misiorowski could certainly go 4 or Ashby could go 4. OR... they BOTH go 4. 

You don't need to plan these games out this farm in advance. Throw him out there, see if he's got it. If he doesn't, he only throws 2IP and...that's as much as a long reliever would throw.

I'm not seeing the problem.

 

He's erratic. He can be great, he can be wild. If you get 5 great innings from Misiorowski and Ashby... that's a plus, not a negative. If you get more, that's a bonus. 

[Brian]

17 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

Paul Skenes pretty famously does it... and I think the Brewers strength and conditioning were the ones who recommended it to Misiorowski. 

 

 

Skenes also out weighs Miz by 75 pounds so if Miz does the exact same thing it may be to much for Miz.  That's all I'm saying cuz miz to me lacks stamina. 

[BrewerFan]

8 minutes ago, biedergb said:

I agree, but I feel this is more like the 2018-2020 playoff teams, and you go with whoever can get you 4-5 innings reliably, and use a guy like Miz and Hall for 1-2 innings a few times, like what we did with Hader and Woody in 2018. At least this team has more than 1 reliable true SP. But this is not Burnes-Woodruff-Peralta-Lauer/Ashby of 2021, but that team had zero offense.

If the offense on this team can stay relevant, then it is on the pitching to get into form. This offense is nowhere near as dangerous as 2018, but it is better than 2021/2023, and the pitching is much better than any run outside of 2021 (that staff was elite)

I don't know if this is true.

The 2018 team had Yelich. He was a stud. But... did we have the same depth?

Assuming we have the lineup we want and guys are hitting well, I like this team's offense maybe more. Remember, 2018 was when they were using that different ball. 

Our OPS+ is 107 this year, 103 in 2018.

This team 
Turang              Cain
Chourio             Yelich
Yelich                Braun
Contreras         Aguilar
Vaughn             Shaw
Frelick               Moose
Ortiz                  Pina
Perkins             Arcia
Durbin              Pitchers spot

 

And the '21 team... ERA+ is skewed because you're riding your best arms more(this team is better though).

But... I don't know that it was a WHOLE lot better. 

You got Burnes 6IP in that series
Woody threw 7 1/3 in 2 games
Peralta threw 4 IP
Lauer, Houser, Ashby-All of them got beat up
Hunter Strickland 2 IP- OER
Boxberger 2IP 0ER
Hader 2IP gave up that HR to Freeman
Jake Cousins 1 IP

I think it's just ALL about how many guys are healthy. 
The 1-3 starters were dominant in '21. No question there. But we had no Devin Williams. Boxberger and Strickland were... just guys. I'd take Mears and probably Koenig over them(at least when he's going right). 

Peralta
Woody
Priester
I'd guess 5IP from each just... that's about what you should count on. But Priester could get on a roll, get some GBs and give you 7. Freddy can always give you 6, but he or Woody could both go 4 also. 

Ashby and Hall in a 7 games series could give you 5-6
Uribe and the BIG one Megill

Then you have Mears, Misiorowski(the topic of the thread) is a HUGE X factor, but to the point where I'd rather roll with him vs Quintana. 
Koenig and if you're this deep, you just hope Myers and Patrick can throw well out of the pen. 

I don't know, I certainly see the argument for the '18 offense and the '21 staff, but I think part of that is because this chapter hasn't been written yet. Braun was near the end, but he came up big. I think that guy is Chourio. 
Conreras, Yelich, Turang, Frelick...Durbin, those guys battle. And I'm not giving up on Hoskins either. He's been there before. If Vaughn falters, I don't have a ton of confidence in Hoskins, but the playoffs are full of players like him coming through with that big hit.

 

 

 

So not disagreeing, but I think we're too close to it right now. I think this offense is more spread out, we do it differently, they battle a little more. The aggression has to be a little more controlled if we're going to be successful, but we know Chourio or Yelich can carry us, Turang and Frelick can set the table(or Turang is just turning into a HR hitter). And Contreras has been red hot as of late. It'll be fun, I'm pretty confident of that!

[BrewerFan]

21 minutes ago, Brian said:

Skenes also out weighs Miz by 75 pounds so if Miz does the exact same thing it may be to much for Miz.  That's all I'm saying cuz miz to me lacks stamina. 

Ok, well, you're starting off with hyperbole for some reason. Misiorowski is ~200, Skenes is 260...and you said, if I remember correctly, your opinion would be a "completely diffrent story," if any other pitchers or teams did it. I pointed out how the BEST young pitcher in the game does it and you just... for some reason brushed that off by saying effectively, 'well, he's bigger.' Ok. Do you know that each one is using the same amount of water? 

I don't think Misiorowski is "gassing" out there, I think the Brewers are particularly careful with their prized young pitcher and he battles command and control issues, but neither he nor Skenes are the only pitchers that use it. Quinn Priester uses it. He's not gassing out. And he's only 10 pounds heavier. Hunter Greene does it... pitchers on the Dodgers do it. I don't know man, you really think THAT is the problem and the best team in Baseball hasn't identified that problem, but you from the TV catching a glance of him in the warms ups using it, you have? 

That.... seems unlikely to me. 

 

I don't think a short warm up with the Water balls  has anything to do with why he's not throwing 8 IP, but I do think it's good for him as a whole. 

Check out what Tom House had Nolan Ryan do for Warm-ups or before a start. The weighted Baseballs were his idea, the 300 Ft long toss and I'm pretty sure this comes from House as well, but I can't say for sure. 

The water is just an expansion on the weighted vests guys have long used to go through warmups.

 

None of this impacts command. That AND youth are what causes Misiorowski's starts to be short. Not because Skenes is heavier than Mis

[brewmann04]

Think he will becoming out of the pen. Ps imo his future is out of the pen also. 

[Michael Trzinski]

A few starts ago, a 'cocky' Miz started skipping off the mound after quick, proficient innings. Shortly after, the opponents pounded him for hits and runs that he had previously not given up in those games. 

Three thoughts:
1) The opposing team gets fired up and hammers the youngster.
2) Miz loses focus, thinking he is 'all that' and doesn't think he needs to 'bring it.'
3) Combination of 1 and 2.

Is it just me, or is the Miz getting too big for his britches and is getting pounded because of it?

[Brian]

34 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

Ok, well, you're starting off with hyperbole for some reason. Misiorowski is ~200, Skenes is 260...and you said, if I remember correctly, your opinion would be a "completely diffrent story," if any other pitchers or teams did it. I pointed out how the BEST young pitcher in the game does it and you just... for some reason brushed that off by saying effectively, 'well, he's bigger.' Ok. Do you know that each one is using the same amount of water? 

I don't think Misiorowski is "gassing" out there, I think the Brewers are particularly careful with their prized young pitcher and he battles command and control issues, but neither he nor Skenes are the only pitchers that use it. Quinn Priester uses it. He's not gassing out. And he's only 10 pounds heavier. Hunter Greene does it... pitchers on the Dodgers do it. I don't know man, you really think THAT is the problem and the best team in Baseball hasn't identified that problem, but you from the TV catching a glance of him in the warms ups using it, you have? 

That.... seems unlikely to me. 

 

I don't think a short warm up with the Water balls  has anything to do with why he's not throwing 8 IP, but I do think it's good for him as a whole. 

Check out what Tom House had Nolan Ryan do for Warm-ups or before a start. The weighted Baseballs were his idea, the 300 Ft long toss and I'm pretty sure this comes from House as well, but I can't say for sure. 

The water is just an expansion on the weighted vests guys have long used to go through warmups.

 

None of this impacts command. That AND youth are what causes Misiorowski's starts to be short. Not because Skenes is heavier than Mis

No I don't know if there using the same amount of water.  But my point was, do it on off days, not on game day.  Not a fan of "game day" waterbags. That is my opinion because it could only wear you out and make your outing shorter and his are short.  It is a 9 inning game not 4.1 innings and get shelled. Everything is worse now with him than when he was called up. 

[Brian]

13 minutes ago, Michael Trzinski said:

A few starts ago, a 'cocky' Miz started skipping off the mound after quick, proficient innings. Shortly after, the opponents pounded him for hits and runs that he had previously not given up in those games. 

Three thoughts:
1) The opposing team gets fired up and hammers the youngster.
2) Miz loses focus, thinking he is 'all that' and doesn't think he needs to 'bring it.'
3) Combination of 1 and 2.

Is it just me, or is the Miz getting too big for his britches and is getting pounded because of it?

I agree 100% he acts cocky but is closer to 

[Brian]

5 hours ago, AKCheesehead said:

I don't even want Mis starting games in September let alone October.  He's already at 111 innings on the season.  How much do they want to run that up?  I'd rather have him in the bullpen than have to be shut down altogether.  Last year when he got promoted to Nashville he was used either as an opener or relief pitcher, and aside from a few games with bad command, he did well with it.  As opposed to running him out there for short starts, and using up the remaining bullets he has for the year, I'd use him in relief.  

How did I miss your post, a one time threw the order reliever/starter would be perfect for him. 

Edited September 3, 2025 by Brian

[BrewerFan]

2 hours ago, Michael Trzinski said:

A few starts ago, a 'cocky' Miz started skipping off the mound after quick, proficient innings. Shortly after, the opponents pounded him for hits and runs that he had previously not given up in those games. 

Three thoughts:
1) The opposing team gets fired up and hammers the youngster.
2) Miz loses focus, thinking he is 'all that' and doesn't think he needs to 'bring it.'
3) Combination of 1 and 2.

Is it just me, or is the Miz getting too big for his britches and is getting pounded because of it?

Well, I guess Brian liked it, so it's not just you, but no, I do NOT think it's because he's cocky. 

He's just a kid. I mean... that can be used so many different ways. Kid, more literally, as an insult, but to me, it's in the best way possible. He's a KID playing a game and he seems giddy to be playing it and he's excited when he does well but he's... not a seasoned vet. This is all new to him. And he's a year ahead of schedule. 

So him bouncing off the mound and thinking he doesn't have to "bring it?" He's throwing 102. I think he needs to "bring it," a bit less. Ease up. His Curve should be in the mid 80s, even lower 80s, his Change, at least mid 80s. Everything is hard. He's max effort. And the Brewers know this, he knows this. He's trying to be more efficient, but it's not until he gets behind, then he gives in. Then they know he's throwing a FB, if you're sitting on a FB... even at 100 with 7 Ft 4 inches of extension, that velo is going a lot of the work.

 

But honestly, no, I don't think there's a young pitchers I've thought has gotten "too big for his britches," LESS than Misiorowski. 

I mean, Woody is another guy I don't believe got too big for his britches or... I guess a little overly confident.

 

I've said this before and I strongly believe it, but Baseball is not a sport you can just try harder at when it comes to hitting or pitching. You need to play hard in every other aspect, but with pitching and hitting, you need to trust yourself. Pitching, you need to trust your stuff or you start to over throw and you try and spin it a bit more.
 

But of all the guys... I don't know, I just don't see it with him. What makes him more endearing is he seems like he's a kid who is really just having fun but also grinding out each AB a bit too much. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, BrewerFan said:

Well, I guess Brian liked it, so it's not just you, but no, I do NOT think it's because he's cocky. 

He's just a kid. I mean... that can be used so many different ways. Kid, more literally, as an insult, but to me, it's in the best way possible. He's a KID playing a game and he seems giddy to be playing it and he's excited when he does well but he's... not a seasoned vet. This is all new to him. And he's a year ahead of schedule. 

So him bouncing off the mound and thinking he doesn't have to "bring it?" He's throwing 102. I think he needs to "bring it," a bit less. Ease up. His Curve should be in the mid 80s, even lower 80s, his Change, at least mid 80s. Everything is hard. He's max effort. And the Brewers know this, he knows this. He's trying to be more efficient, but it's not until he gets behind, then he gives in. Then they know he's throwing a FB, if you're sitting on a FB... even at 100 with 7 Ft 4 inches of extension, that velo is going a lot of the work.

 

But honestly, no, I don't think there's a young pitchers I've thought has gotten "too big for his britches," LESS than Misiorowski. 

I mean, Woody is another guy I don't believe got too big for his britches or... I guess a little overly confident.

 

I've said this before and I strongly believe it, but Baseball is not a sport you can just try harder at when it comes to hitting or pitching. You need to play hard in every other aspect, but with pitching and hitting, you need to trust yourself. Pitching, you need to trust your stuff or you start to over throw and you try and spin it a bit more.
 

But of all the guys... I don't know, I just don't see it with him. What makes him more endearing is he seems like he's a kid who is really just having fun but also grinding out each AB a bit too much. 

As hard as he throws & as big & tall as he is, it's probably really tough for him to get the breaking stuff & changeup down into the 80s without severely changing his motion, arm angle etc & tipping it off. As long as the location is good I think the change in velo is acceptable as is. I'm not sure how much a slider at 96 is going to break compared to a normal one though which makes location all the more important.

As to his usage in the post season, I think he's a 2-3 inning guy out of the pen as most have said.

[BrewerFan]

4 hours ago, Brian said:

No I don't know if there using the same amount of water.  But my point was, do it on off days, not on game day.  Not a fan of "game day" waterbags. That is my opinion because it could only wear you out and make your outing shorter and his are short.  It is a 9 inning game not 4.1 innings and get shelled. Everything is worse now with him than when he was called up. 

Ok, well... that's a lot of stuff we don't know here, but here's what i do now.

1-He's our young phenom. There's a pretty industry standard way you try and handle these guys. He's in his 3rd full year. He's thrown 73IP and 97IP and he should be in the minors trying to get in 120-125IP this year. He's already going to near the cap just making it through the regular season. 

I don't think he's getting tired, I think they're reigning him in because that's what you do with a prized young prospect. 

I don't see any indication that he's tired because he does an exercise that emphasizes keeping his core engaged and not opening up too early. He throws a lot of pitches and he tends to lose the strike zone.

Even in games he was dealing, he only threw over 90 pitches twice. 

I do know it's pretty common for athletes in every walk of life to go through a pretty pre-game, fight, match workout to get that blood flowing. 

It's pretty common. In College, after weigh in's, we'd Wrestler for about 45 minutes going at about 85%. You felt GASED when you were done. You'd just cut weight, you were trying to get a good sweat going. Football players go through a series of sprints, etc...

And I asked Grok why pitchers work out before pitcher. 

This was his answer;

 

Quote

 

Conclusion

Pitchers run and exercise on game day to activate muscles, prevent injuries, sharpen mechanics, boost mental focus, and prime energy systems for the anaerobic demands of pitching. These light, targeted routines (e.g., jogging, bands, or Skenes’ water bag drill) ensure peak performance for 80–120 pitches without fatigue. For college prospects like Ryan Birchard, game-day prep likely mirrors MLB practices, emphasizing core and lower-body activation for his 94–98 mph fastball. If you want details on specific pitchers’ routines or comparisons to wrestling prep, let me know!

 

 

All of this and then add the fact that his teammate does the same thing and the Brewers pitching development is considered to be at least among the best in baseball, that all leads me to believe... he's probably not struggling to get through 5IP because of the water bags. 

[BrewerFan]

44 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

As hard as he throws & as big & tall as he is, it's probably really tough for him to get the breaking stuff & changeup down into the 80s without severely changing his motion, arm angle etc & tipping it off. As long as the location is good I think the change in velo is acceptable as is. I'm not sure how much a slider at 96 is going to break compared to a normal one though which makes location all the more important.

As to his usage in the post season, I think he's a 2-3 inning guy out of the pen as most have said.

Probably. That's why I said Ashby and Misi giving him out of the pen would be a very good outcome and if they come in and get us through 5 strong.

But, I'm also not capping Misiorowski. If he is throwing like he has some other games and he's through 5 with 10Ks and 1H, I'm going to let him go back out there....assuming his pitch count is under control. 

I'm start him... I'd have Quintana ready to go and... basically just hope for the best. He's one of the few pitchers that can just overpower these lineups we'll face in the post-season. 

He's the last guy I want coming in with 2 on and 1 out though. Not the way he walks people. But we've got another month to see who we can get back healthy(or hopefully everyone else stays healthy).