PHOENIX – Jacob Misiorowski is getting the nod for the Brewers to start Opening Day against the White Sox, making him one of the youngest and greenest pitchers in franchise history to get that honor. He is also one of the most electric.
The 23-year-old is coming off 14 starts and one relief appearance during the regular season as a rookie in 2025. He was informed of the honor during a meeting with Brewers veteran Christian Yelich and manager Pat Murphy, who informed Misiorowski that his performance in the club's annual rookie talent show on Thursday was one of the worst he'd ever seen.
"Due to that," Murphy told Misiorowski, "you're going to be our Opening Day starter."
Once Misiorowski became a possibility, MLB.com’s research desk looked at the least-experienced Opening Day starters in Brewers franchise history.
Age on day of starting Brewers' Opening Day (years-days)
23-242 - Bill Parsons (1972)
23-258 - Ben Sheets (2002)
23-357 - Jacob Misiorowski (2026)
24-037 - Yovani Gallardo (2010)
24-162 - Bill Travers (1977)
It's pretty good company. Parsons and Sheets each completed six innings in those Opening Day assignments, didn't walk a batter and combined to surrender only three earned runs. The Brewers won both games.
MLB starts prior to starting Brewers’ Opening Day
4 - Marty Pattin (1969)+
9 - Rafael Roque (1999)
14 - Jacob Misiorowski (2026)
19 - Jim Colborn (1973)
20 - Junior Guerra (2017)
+ Seattle Pilots
Pattin had logged a full season with the Angels the year before he started against the Angels on Opening Day for the expansion Pilots, making 48 relief appearances for California in addition to his four starts. Colborn was a similar case, with 93 appearances over parts of four seasons for the Cubs and Brewers before he made the first of his two Brewers Opening Day starts in '73.
So the better comp for a possible Misiorowski Opening Day assignment is Roque, who’d gone 4-2 with a 4.88 ERA as a rookie in 1998. He was lined up that spring to begin the year as the fifth starter, but manager Phil Garner made the surprise decision to move him up to Opening Day against the Cardinals in place of a banged-up Scott Karl, thereby keeping the other starters on schedule.
Roque was out of the game by the third inning, though the Brewers managed to win the game. He was 0-4 with a 6.35 ERA through his first eight starts when Garner moved Roque to the bullpen. He made one more start in June, the last big league start of his career.
Of course, none of that portends anything for Misiorowski.