No one can say for sure what the future holds for the Brewers’ 24-year-old, flamethrowing ace, Jacob Misiorowski. But Brewers manager Pat Murphy does know this: The Miz is just getting started.
“He’s scratching the surface,” Murphy said after a September start against the Cubs, with the Brewers on the way to a fourth consecutive division title, and Misiorowski putting the finishing touches on what was already one of the best seasons for a starting pitcher in Brewers history. “This kid can be really, really good. He’s worn out. We all know that. But this kid can be really, really special. He’s just learning how to pitch. He’s got electric stuff.”
We’ve never seen stuff so electric. After coming into his own last October as a high-octane bullpen arm, Misiorowski came into his own as a starter in 2026. He flirted with perfection in a one-hit, 27-batter, 15-strikeout shutout against the Phillies. He touched 105.5 mph against Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs. He made the National League All-Star team for a second straight season. He was so stingy allowing hits that it conjured comparisons to some of the greatest seasons for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history.
And the best thing? Misiorowski is still a big kid.
How does life change when you’re famous for your fastball?
Jacob Misiorowski: Well, it’s fun, but it can be a lot. I can’t walk into Target without getting recognized. It’s more good than not good, but there are sometimes you’re surrounded by kids who don’t know boundaries, and you’re like, ‘Guys, really? I have a life outside of baseball, you know.’ But I love it.
What do you think it is that draws kids to you?
JM: I think the biggest thing is that the things I’m into are a lot of the same things they’re into. The video games, the Pokémon cards and stuff like that. I don’t really care what people think. I’m just going to be me. I think they get drawn to that, and they understand me.
Is there one particular interaction that you remember over others?
JM: There was a little guy who was in a card shop, and he wasn’t even into baseball as much as Pokémon. I was just sitting there talking to him about that, and then of course his dad recognized me. Dad was awesome. He didn’t really say anything and just stood back and let us talk. Little guy was great. We just chatted about Pokémon, and that was fun. Then, dad told little man who I was, and the kid goes, ‘Oh my God, are you for real?’ It’s stuff like that that I love. The kid didn’t care who I was, we were just talking Pokemon. Then he realizes, and he’s starstruck. It was a lot of fun.
How did you get into Pokémon?
JM: My dad and I used to get baseball cards, football cards and that type of stuff. Then I was playing Nintendo Game Boy games and got into Pokémon that way. That was the game I always loved and played forever. When I found out there were cards, I fell in love with it.
And it became a clubhouse obsession?
JM: Last year we went around to card shops on the road. But it’s really just me now. Jared [Koenig] wasn’t with the team as much. ‘Big Woo’ [Brandon Woodruff] is not on the road. Rhys Hoskins is gone. So the group I was with isn’t around this year. I still do it a little bit if I find a shop I want to visit.
Are there any other hobbies people might be surprised about?
JM: Do hunting and fishing count? I don’t think people would be surprised by that, me coming from the Midwest. That’s my big one. I actually just bought land in Northern Missouri for deer hunting, so that’s something fun for the offseason. My fiancee is big into sewing and embroidery, but I have not gotten into that. I don’t have the patience. Every time she tries to get me to try it, I get mad and want to move on. But she’s into Pokémon with me, so we have that together.
Whether it’s mechanics or strategy or something completely different, what is the biggest thing that has made a difference for you this year compared to last year?
JM: Honestly, it’s being comfortable. Like, I was comfortable last year, but you have to learn to be OK with failing, and knowing the other guys have my back.
If there’s a young kid out there who sees you pitch and thinks, ‘I want to pitch like that,’ what would you tell him or her?
JM: I think the biggest thing is not striving to only throw hard. That actually hindered my improvement. You try so hard to get to this speed that you really desire, and then when you finally get it, it shoots you back down because you’re like, ‘Oh, I did it!’ Instead of trying to hit 100 mph, you should try to sit 98 and know 100 will come. Don’t strive for max effort, strive for reliability. The biggest thing is trying to repeat whatever you’re trying to do. That’s the name of this game. It sounds simple, but it’s so hard.
When you think back to yourself as a young pitcher, when did you think it was possible you’d be in the big leagues some day?
JM: Honestly, when I started getting Division I offers, I was like, ‘Maybe I have something here.’ I was committed to Oklahoma State my junior year and then COVID hit and programs got slashed, and my scholarship went from full to a little bit less. My family didn’t have a lot, and it wouldn’t have been smart for my family to do that. So I decided to go the JuCo route [to Crowder College in Neosho, Mo.]. I think that route was better because I got drafted faster.
Three years later, you were in the big leagues. And a year after that, it’s a breakthrough season. How can you top all that has happened this year?
JM: There’s a lot to get better on. Improve the slider, improve the changeup. There’s always stuff to improve. The work part of it, if I think back to high school, I hated a lot of this. Having to go work on stuff instead of playing video games every night. But I started to understand what I needed to do to make a career out of this, and I bought in quickly. Now I love the work. There’s an adrenaline high you get from it. That floaty, fuzzy feeling when you lift weights? I like that.
Do you get that feeling on the mound?
JM: A little bit. The Phillies game [a 15-strikeout, one-hit shutout in June], that had a floating feeling. And the big one I can remember is pitching against the Cubs in the postseason. I didn’t feel a thing. That whole game, I was floating.