Trio Of Freshmen Are Heating Up, Propelling The Brewers Up The Standings

The Milwaukee Brewers entered the All-Star break as one of, if not the, hottest teams in baseball. It hadn't always looked so bright, though. After waking up on May 18, manager Pat Murphy checked the latest National League standings and saw his Brewers in fourth place in the NL Central, six games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs with a dismal record of 21-25.

Since then, the Brew Crew has won 35 of their last 50 games to improve to 56-40 and are lurking a single game behind the now mortal-looking Cubs going into the All-Star break. Many players have contributed mightily for Milwaukee, but perhaps none as well as the three Brewers 'freshmen, namely Jacob Misiorowski, Caleb Durbin, and Isaac Collins.

'The Miz' was called up a few short weeks ago and has made a huge splash in the major leagues. In his big-league debut on June 12, Miz pitched five innings of no-hit ball against the St. Louis Cardinals, earning his first big league win before leaving with a minor injury. In his next outing, Misiorowski threw six perfect innings against the Minnesota Twins before giving up a walk and a two-run homer to Matt Wallner in the seventh in a 17-6 trouncing of the Twins. Game number three was more of the same, with Miz outdueling Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Paul Skenes in a 4-2 win, the third straight victory for the young Brewers hurler. 

Misiorowski came down to earth on July 2, getting tagged with his first major league defeat in a 7-3 loss to the New York Mets. In just 3.2 innings, he allowed five hits, five runs, and three walks while giving up a grand salami to Brandon Nimmo, followed by a solo shot by Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the second. The Miz looked tired, and his velocity was down.

Six days later, he faced another legend, Los Angeles Dodgers sure-thing Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. Seemingly revitalized, the young buck took it to the established star and outpitched LA's southpaw by a long shot. Miz went six innings and allowed four hits, one run, and one walk while striking out 12 batters. The next day, Kershaw said, "I know him now, huh? That was super impressive. That was unbelievable. It was really special. I mean, everything. The velo, but he’s got four pitches, commands the ball, and made it — I mean, I don’t know how you hit that, honestly. That’s just really tough.”

Clayton Kershaw, meet Jacob Misiorowski.

The Miz was a late addition to the NL All-Star team and pitched one inning on Tuesday, allowing one hit in one inning while hitting 102.3 mph on the radar gun. Hopefully, that is the first of many trips to the ASG for the star Milwaukee pitcher.

There were probably more than a few Brewers fans unhappy with the acquisition of New York Yankees farmhand Caleb Durbin. The Brewers traded closer Devin Williams to the Yanks last December for Durbin and pitcher Nestor Cortes. Fast forward eight months. With the overall success of the Brewers' pen and solid pitching by new closer Trevor Megill, Brewers fans might now be asking, 'Devin Who?'

Durbin started the season at Triple-A Nashville but was called up three weeks into the season and has played almost every game for Milwaukee since. In his first major league game against the 'Nomadic' Athletics, Durbin collected his first big-league knock and went 2-for-4 in the contest. Durbin's season has been typical of a rookie, with the usual ups and downs. On May 20, he was batting .169 with an OPS of .501 when he went on a hot streak over his next 11 games, batting .333/.383/.500 over 42 at-bats while slamming seven two-baggers and stealing three bases.

Then came a 2-for-23 famine that saw his average plummet to .203 in mid-June. But over the next month, Durbin had a red-hot streak in which he batted .367/.440/.468 over 79 at-bats. The power is still not there (12 doubles, four HRs), but he has provided some clutch moments, including three walk-offs, which ties him with the immortal Gomer Hodge (1971) with the most walk-offs in major league history before the All-Star game. (Hodge would later manage the Beloit Brewers in the Class-A Midwest League from 1986-88.)

Durbin kills southpaws to the tune of .351/.413/.509 over 57 at-bats, while scuffling somewhat against righties, batting .232/.329/.316 in 177 ABs. Platoon splits aside, the diminutive (5-foot-7) infielder is batting .261/.348/.363 overall and is playing a decent third base for Milwaukee. His six defensive runs saved (DRS) ranks fourth overall, just ahead of 10-time Gold Glover Nolan Arenado. Hmm...

Isaac Collins began his professional career with the Colorado Rockies. He made it as high as Double-A before being selected by the Brewers in the minor league portion of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. The switch-hitter clawed his way up the chain and made his big-league debut last year, going 2-for-17 in 11 games. What a difference a year makes.

With injuries to Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins, Collins worked his way up the outfield depth chart and has been a mainstay in left field, starting 48 games for the Brewers. Although he split time between left field and second base in the minors, he has become adept at playing 'the corn' at Am Fam Field and has passed the eye test, having made several outstanding catches this year. His five defensive runs saved rank in MLB's top 10 for left fielders.

Proving that they don't all grow big in Minnesota, the 5-foot-8 Collins has been steady for Milwaukee, batting .259/.363/.389 over 193 ABs. Although not a big power hitter (eight doubles, one triple, five homers), Collins plays good defense and shows some speed, stealing 10 of 13 bases this season. Collins has the potential of being a 30-stolen base guy and could hit 10-15 homers. Add to that his defensive skills, and you have a pretty solid player.   

If The Miz can pitch as well in his next 12-13 starts as he did in his first five, he will be a slam-dunk Top 5 NL Rookie of the Year candidate. Durbin and Collins could collect some votes, but it's more likely they will simply be solid rookies, and right now, that's what the Brewers need.

What do you think of the jobs that these three have done this year? Let us know in the comment section, and thanks for reading!