MILWAUKEE – If you’re wondering whether the front office is paying attention to what top Brewers pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski is doing for Triple-A Nashville this season, the answer, obviously, is yes. GM Matt Arnold watched every pitch of one of Misiorowski’s recent gems on his iPad while the Brewers played the Rays in Tampa.
And if you’re wondering when those officials will make a big leaguer of Misiorowski -- MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 Brewers prospect and No. 72 on the overall Top 100 -- join the club.
"I certainly think Miz has the type of stuff that you want to take care of,” Arnold said. “He has that kind of upside for us. And so you want to make sure if and when a guy arrives at the big league level that you put them in a position to succeed.”
In other words, the Brewers want to be sure that once Misiorowski is promoted, he’s in the Major Leagues to stay. Choosing the right time for that is among the myriad factors that go into promoting a prospect of Misiorowski’s pedigree.
The 23-year-old has done his part to push a promotion along. Misiorowski is coming off the longest start of his career, a seven-inning, one-run performance in Nashville’s 3-1 win in Memphis in which the 6-foot-7 righty was efficient (83 pitches) and topped 103 mph with his fastball. And that outing came after he topped 102 mph multiple times and set a season high with 11 strikeouts in a May 9 start -- which Arnold watched on his iPad.
Most important of all, Misiorowski walked one batter in each of those outings. Command has always been the limiting factor for the 2022 second-round Draft pick.
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“He should be really confident right now, and then the call is not coming and you have a little chip on your shoulder,” Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan said. “Like Chad Patrick, a different style of pitcher but a really good arm, who kind of went through that last year. Robert Gasser the year before.
“More importantly, I think Miz realizes that he’s putting it together from outing to outing right now. It’s getting a little better each time. That’s a win for everybody. It’s just a matter of how long you let that [go], where it’s continuing to build versus wasting bullets. I think he’s still got things to work on in terms of harnessing it.”
In the meantime, the Brewers are actually getting healthier in the MLB starting rotation. Aaron Civale has one more rehab start scheduled and Brandon Woodruff has perhaps two. Lefties Aaron Ashby and DL Hall are also nearing returns to MLB as multi-inning relievers.
Of course, whenever the Brewers decide it’s time for Misiorowski, they’ll make room for him. Arnold and other officials are enjoying the show until then.
“I mean, he's definitely gotten our attention with what he's been able to do,” Arnold said. “Not just the stuff, because he's always had the stuff. It's really just the ability to start and to execute through a lineup, command the ball. The way that he's overwhelming for hitters at times is something that's been pretty impressive."