When the Milwaukee Brewers traded their former ace, Freddy Peralta, to the New York Mets in January, many were left to wonder whether the team's front office had a transition plan for the bullpen. It was clear that their young pitching core had enough promise to pave a way forward, but it was hard to predict just how amazing Jacob Misiorowski would be in only his second year as a major leaguer.
Usually, it takes longer than this for a young pitcher to adapt to the MLB, but through eight starts this year, 'The Miz' has proven that he's ready to assume the mantle of Milwaukee's ace. The 24-year-old is already making MLB history with some of the fastest pitches we've ever seen, as emphasized by a near-perfect night against the New York Yankees last week.
In his latest start against New York, Misiorowski threw the seven fastest pitches recorded by a starter since the pitch-tracking era began in 2008. Three different fastballs reached 103.6 MPH, a new MLB record No, that's not a typo — he literally threw 10 of the 14 fastest pitches by a starter since 2008.
After the game, Yankees superstar Aaron Judge told reporters that Misiorowski has "one of the best fastballs I've ever seen," calling him " a great, great, great young star."
When you have a talent of this magnitude so early in his career, it can alter the trajectory of a franchise. No single pitcher is capable of carrying every game, so it'll take a tremendous effort from the rest of the Brewers' pitching rotation, but having an ace of Misiorowski's caliber forces a franchise to start thinking about accelerating their title window.
Jacob Misiorowski's excellence makes the Brewers' World Series aspirations all the more believable.
Getting to the Playoffs hasn't been an issue for the Milwaukee Brewers in recent years. Of the franchise's 11 all-time Playoff appearances, seven of those have come in the last eight seasons. The front office has committed to maintaining a high level of play despite consistently ranking in the bottom third of teams in spending.
But when an ace of Misiorowski's caliber emerges on a roster that's been seeking a true No. 1 for years, it's probably time to spend some cash and go all-in on your team.
General Manager Matt Arnold has done an exceptional job of supplementing the Brewers' veteran core with young players, ensuring the highest-impact vets remain under contract and in the lineup while infusing the roster with young talent to keep it athletic and versatile. However, the clock is ticking on some of those key veterans like Christian Yelich (34) and Brandon Woodruff (33), making now the right time to strike.
Misiorowski is at the start of what should be a long and storied career, but as life goes, nothing is as predictable as it seems in sports. There's an argument to be made that 'The Miz' is the biggest story in baseball this season, so why not go all-in when the opportunity presents itself?
If the Brewers take an aggressive approach to the trade market this year and extend just a bit outside their comfort zone financially, we might look back at Misiorowski's emergence as the turning point in Milwaukee's trajectory as a title contender.
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