A rising star, named Jacob Misiorowski, is injecting excitement into MLB this year. It appears that his appearances may be strategically managed as the season progresses.
During Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching talent delivered three scoreless innings before being taken out in the fourth. This action underscored the team’s intention to carefully monitor the 23-year-old’s workload. His performance included pitching 3 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, recording zero runs, issuing one walk, achieving seven strikeouts, and throwing a total of 64 pitches.
His fastball consistently reached an average of 99.5 mph, peaking at 101.9 mph. The two curveballs he threw were the only pitches that clocked in at speeds below 90 mph.
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DL Hall took over from Misiorowski with two outs, inducing a groundout from Luke Raley, preserving the rookie’s scoreless start. However, a solo home run by Cal Raleigh in the sixth inning, his MLB-leading 39th of the season, provided the Mariners with the decisive run, resulting in a 1-0 victory and halting the Brewers’ impressive 11-game winning streak.
Milwaukee now holds a record of 60-41, sharing the top spot in the NL Central with the Chicago Cubs and boasting the best record in MLB.
Misiorowski’s start marked his first appearance since participating in the All-Star Game, a selection that stirred debate given he had only started five games prior. MLB’s decision to include him in the Midsummer Classic highlighted his exceptional abilities, which the Brewers aim to preserve as much as possible.
How many innings are the Brewers planning for Jacob Misiorowski?
The Brewers’ decision to manage Misiorowski’s pitching duties comes as no great revelation, particularly with their sights set on the playoffs.
Teams tend to exercise caution with young pitchers to prevent significant year-over-year increases in innings pitched. Misiorowski’s trajectory would have been concerning had he been allowed to operate as a typical starter. In 2023, his first full season in affiliated baseball, he pitched 71 1/3 innings, followed by 97 1/3 innings in 2024. This year, he has already thrown 63 1/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville before his major league debut, where he has now accumulated 29 1/3 innings, plus his scoreless inning in the MLB All-Star Game.
With Misiorowski nearing 92 2/3 innings this year and much of the second half of the season still ahead, the Brewers are keen to minimize risks associated with a full season, given the inherent injury risks related to his high-velocity pitching.
Tuesday’s game might be a prime example of their swift management approach, as manager Pat Murphy mentioned to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
“It’s crucial to manage the health of everyone by making these strategic decisions,” he noted. “For instance, deciding who might need a break. Miz hadn’t pitched for X number of days, then he pitched an inning in the All-Star Game. We can’t expect him to pitch seven innings tomorrow.”
“That’s unfair to him. So, you have to consider that.”
Calculations can be made. The Brewers are keen to avoid the predicament the Washington Nationals faced with Stephen Strasburg in 2012 by publicly announcing a specific hard innings limit. However, let’s consider a scenario where they prefer he doesn’t exceed 140 innings this season.
In such a case, and assuming Misiorowski makes one start per week for the remainder of the regular season, he would have approximately nine starts remaining, translating to 57 1/3 innings. This averages to 5.26 innings per start, which isn’t unreasonable. However, the postseason also factors into the equation, making matters more complex.
If the Brewers anticipate Misiorowski making, for example, three additional starts in the postseason, this would equate to about 3.94 innings per start. Should his innings limit be extended to 150, that figure rises to 4.78.
It’s important to emphasize that the above is purely speculative. The plan likely isn’t based on a strict innings limit because MLB teams understand that not all innings are created equal, and there are alternative methods to minimize strain on a pitcher’s arm. The Brewers may simply be closely monitoring his health and reducing his workload during less critical moments, at least until the playoffs.
Nonetheless, both the calculations and the Brewers’ statements suggest that if you invest in watching the Brewers’ emerging ace, temper expectations about seeing a complete performance unless indicated otherwise. Given potential workload restrictions, it’s unlikely he will be able to pitch every fifth day, averaging six or seven innings per start.
However, the limitations do not appear to be hindering Misiorowski’s consideration for awards, as he remains a strong contender for NL Rookie of the Year at BetMGM.
