Something Else Jacob Misiorowski is the Best At

Image courtesy of James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Brewers Video

The completeness of Jacob Misiorowski's 2026 dominance is hard to grasp. Few pitchers in the history of the game have overpowered and overmatched opposing batters this thoroughly. The sheer velocity is one thing; the way he gets down the mound and augments it is another. Having figured out how to fill up the strike zone and developed a sufficient arsenal of other trustworthy pitches to keep hitters honest, Misiorowski has become as close to unhittable as any starter has been in at least a decade. So when I tell you there's a dimension of his greatness this year we might not even be appreciating sufficiently, it will probably prompt skepticism. Of all the things Misiorowski is, these days, it's hard to argue for 'underrated'.

Tell that to baserunners. The precious few players who reach base against the Brewers ace this year might as well swap out their shin pads and elbow armor for a big old ball-and-chain, because even if they're lucky enough to get to first, they're not going anywhere.

All season, runners have attempted three steals against Misiorowski. Here's one of them—for a long time, the only successful one. It came on April 25, against the Pirates.

Konnor Griffin is very fast. He's stolen 22 bases in 25 tries this year, and I don't think William Contreras would have thrown him out even if he had thrown through. That's not the point, though. Stealing the base wasn't even the point of Griffin taking off, from the Pirates' perspective. With No. 9 hitter Henry Davis at the plate and two outs, the reason Griffin ran was to try and bait Contreras into throwing to second, so that Pittsburgh might steal a third run in what was one of Misiorowski's most laborious outings of the year. Contreras didn't bite, and Misiorowski never cared whether Griffin went, anyway. Technically, it's a steal, but it hardly feels like an example of the runner winning a battle with the battery.

Here's the second time someone tried running on Misiorowski.

Between that last attempt and this one, Misiorowski had gone from opening a lot of eyes with his superb velocity to being understood as the best pitcher in the sport. When you get any chance to create chaos or manufacture a run against him, you have to at least consider it. Yet, Ronald Acuña Jr.—no shrinking violet when it comes to attempting a steal—only did so once he thought he had the drop on friend and countryman Contreras, trying a delayed steal based on Contreras staying on one knee as he prepared to throw the ball back to his ace. It wasn't a bad idea, really. It didn't work, though, and the fact that Acuña judged that a better way to try for second than a straight steal is telling, too.

Finally, on September 8, someone actually got him. We probably shouldn't be surprised about who it was.

When Misiorowski and Pete Crow-Armstrong are locked in any form of battle on the field this season, the main character energy in the air could power a mid-sized American city. It's only fitting that, despite Misiorowski getting the better of most of their matchups, Crow-Armstrong got some revenge immediately after reaching base in this encounter. Crow-Armstrong isn't just a high-volume basestealer; he's exceptionally good at getting leads and avoiding tags. He's stolen 38 bases in 45 tries. Between him and Griffin, the two guys who have stolen against Misiorowski this year are 60-for-70 in total, and again, only Crow-Armstrong's was even a real steal.

Misiorowski doesn't have an elite pickoff move. It's fine, but it's not the type of thing that typically freezes runners. He shuts them down differently. It's partially about time, of course. A Misiorowski heater gets to the plate faster than that of any other pitcher in the game, and Contreras has one of the best pop times among catchers. (He's also quite accurate on his throws.) Even before he releases the ball, Misiorowski's delivery is quick, so although he's big, runners have a hard time getting a good lead as he starts his move. He complicates the equation further by varying the amount of time he holds the ball pretty widely; he's especially comfortable with a long hold.

Add to that set of hurdles the fact that few pitchers induce more whiffs than Misiorowski, so no runner who takes off can feel very good about being protected by a hitter if the pitch is in a hittable spot. Teams should want to get every 90 feet they can against Misiorowski, but he has a knack for putting an anchor in the seat of runners' pants. It's helped him strand runners at a higher rate than the league average this year. It's helped him avoid big innings. Little though it might seem to matter, in comparison with the way he flummoxes hitters, Misiorowski stumps runners to an extent that only makes his brilliance more valuable.

With one start left, Misiorowski has pitched 169 innings this year. No other hurler set to qualify for the ERA title has allowed fewer steals than he has. Only Parker Messick of the Guardians has been equally stingy (two steals), and he's a lefty. No one's been thrown out trying against him, either. In fact, no one but Messick and Misiorowski has allowed fewer than five steals in that much time on the mound. This is one last way in which, in the Year of Jacob Misiorowski, he just keeps finding ways to amaze.