Jacob Misiorowski’s Meteoric Ascension, As Told Through Pokémon Evolution

[Maddie Landis]

Pokémon is the world’s highest-grossing media franchise of all time, netting more than $100 billion in total revenue. It includes video games, an animated television series, various movies, and the ever-popular trading card game. While specific storylines vary across each medium, the basic premise is simple: a trainer befriends Pokémon, trains them, and battles other people’s Pokémon.

You know who loves Pokémon? Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski.

What is a Pokémon?

Pokémon are creatures that co-exist with humans. Some resemble household pets. Others look like mythical creatures. Then, there are some Pokémon where I have no idea what the design team was thinking. The most popular and recognizable Pokémon is Pikachu, a yellow rodent. Pokémon are categorized by species, element type, and rarity. 

This year marks Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. As an avid Pokémon fan, I’d bet Brewers ace Jacob Misirowski is celebrating by ripping some packs. Last year, he pulled a rare Charizard holographic card from a Base Set Booster pack. If you’re an active nerd on social media (your timeline crosses over between baseball and Pokémon fandoms), you’ve probably seen his purple custom glove with a Gengar holographic card embedded in the web. Misirowski’s development follows Gastly’s evolution line to a tee.

Gastly: College & Minors 

"Almost invisible, this gaseous POKéMON cloaks the target and puts it to sleep without notice." - Pokémon Red Version Pokédex

Gastly is an amorphous Ghost/Poison Pokémon. It’s literally just a floating head, two eyes, and a purple gas cloud. Early in his career, Misiorowski was an under-the-radar prospect with unrefined stuff. Some scouts flagged his fastball-slider combination and lack of control (5.3 BB/9) as a considerable reliever risk. 

Watching older videos from this stage in Misiorowski’s career, you can see why some scouts were bullish on him. Misiorowski’s delivery is violent and explosive for his lanky six-foot-seven frame. He throws from a low three-quarter arm slot and starts with a bicycle kick in his windup, accelerates forward, and snaps his right hip as he releases the ball. Once the ball is gone, his right leg whips around him.

The holes in Misiorowski’s kinematic sequencing (energy transfer) were most obvious in his deceleration, where leftover energy kept his body moving. He would often stumble down the mound and catch himself with his back leg instead of bracing with his lead leg. A pitcher who can’t stop his body from moving after releasing the ball will struggle with command since he’s not throwing the ball from the same spot.

Misiorowski’s 100.7 mph fastball garnered attention at the 2022 MLB Draft Combine. Despite the concerns with his profile, the Brewers selected him in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft. He plowed through Milwaukee’s farm system as expected by throwing hard, slicing through batters, and walking a ton of guys.

Haunter: Rookie Season

"Because of its ability to slip through block walls, it is said to be from another dimension." - Pokémon Red Version Pokédex

Gastly evolves into Haunter at level 25. Haunter has a pointy Cheshire Cat grin and disconnected clawed hands. It’s still levitating, though it carries a longer tail-like wisp towards the bottom of its body. Haunter learns the move “Lick”, which paralyzes opponents.  

As a 23-year-old rookie, Misiorowski immediately embarrassed major league hitters, thankfully without any licking. His funky delivery and blistering velocity overpowered batters. He tossed ten no-hit innings across his first two starts and made a scoreless relief appearance in the 2025 All-Star Game. Towards the end of the season, Misiorowski's command faltered. He posted a 9.58 ERA in August, and his K-BB% plummeted to 12.4% in September. He finished the season with a 4.36 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 20.5% K-BB% across 66 innings. These numbers were a step down from his commanding start, but his underlying metrics and raw stuff signaled he hadn’t touched his ceiling.

Miz's Rookie Splits by Month
Month	IP	K%	BB%	K-BB%	CSW%	ERA	FIP
Jun	16.0	33.9%	12.5%	21.4%	28.6%	1.13	2.89
Jul	17.1	38.4%	9.6%	28.8%	30.5%	4.15	3.37
Aug	10.1	38.3%	14.9%	23.4%	28.0%	9.58	3.23
Sept/Oct	22.1	22.7%	10.3%	12.4%	27.9%	4.43	4.52

Gengar: Present Day

"Under a full moon, this POKéMON likes to mimic the shadows of people and laugh at their fright." - Pokémon Red Version Pokédex

Gengar is the final evolution of Gastly. Unlike most Pokémon, Haunter doesn’t evolve into Gengar by leveling up. It requires an intentional act of either a trade or exposure to a Linking Cord.

Gengar resembles the purple McDonald’s mascot Grimace, if Grimace finessed a GLP-1 prescription. It has full legs and arms, pointy ears, red eyes, and a menacing smile. Gengar is an absolute beast in the video games. I usually carry one in my party because of its versatility, colossal base special attack stat, and high speed.

This year, Misiorowski has evolved into baseball’s hardest-throwing front-of-the-rotation force. He’s added muscle to his frame, which stabilizes his legs. He now has better control over his deceleration. His lead leg is more braced in the follow-through, so he’s not stumbling off the mound after every pitch. That previously leftover energy transfers to his velocity. His four-seamer’s average velocity has increased from 99.3 mph to a ridiculous 100.1 mph. Bolstering his kinematic sequencing has also helped his command. Last year, his walk rate graded in the 11th percentile (11.0%). This year, he’s improved to the 77th percentile (6.7%). He’s throwing more first pitch strikes (66.3%), up from last year’s (58.1%). 

Mega Gengar: The Future

Introduced in Pokémon X and Y, Mega Evolutions temporarily inflate a Pokémon’s base stats. There are only 87 Pokémon species that can undergo a Mega Evolution, so they’re not guaranteed for every Pokémon. 

Misirowski doesn’t need a Mega Evolution yet. He’s breaking records left and right and is the current frontrunner in the National League Cy Young race. If everything holds together, there’s a version of him (Mega Miz X)  that becomes the first pitcher to throw a 110+ mph pitch.

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[Stealofhome]

Fun tie in to his interests, but could have used the progression that Misiorowski himself used in the interview with Mookie Betts. Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard.

[Brock Beauchamp]

10 minutes ago, Stealofhome said:

Fun tie in to his interests, but could have used the progression that Misiorowski himself used in the interview with Mookie Betts. Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard.

We based it on some of his favorite Pokemon, which is the Gastly evolution tree. But yeah, we could have gone a few ways with it.