PHILADELPHIA – Jacob Misiorowski’s introverted nature is not built for the scene at the All-Star Game.
Tucked into a corner at a tiny table along the center field concourse at Citizens Bank Park, Misiorowski’s spot was located directly at the front of the line of makeshift podiums for the National League’s All-Stars.
The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander isn’t pitching in the All-Star Game this week, but that didn’t keep him from being among the top spectacles during the media availability before the Home Run Derby on July 13.
Every player during this event attracts some level of crowd throughout the entirety of the 45-minute open interview sessions, but a group as consistently deep as Misiorowski had? Not many were on that level – and this is for a pitcher in the smallest market in baseball, with only one local media outlet even represented.
There was more talking over one another going on than at a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving.
This is a look at what it’s like to be the most-marketed player nationally in Brewers history at the All-Star Game.
As the very first player in sight, Misiorowski was immediately thronged by microphones once a herd of reporters were released.
The Miz spectacle at the All-Star Game
Right off the bat, a question about Shohei Ohtani. It wouldn’t be the last. Misiorowski sang his praises.
The next question was about Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler not making the All-Star Game. The look in the Brewers ace’s face gave an answer in and of itself: “Why are you asking this to me?” But Misiorowski has done enough interviews by this point to know what answer to give.
“Didn’t he get offered a spot?” Misiorowski asks. “I think he got the chance to be here. Obviously something else might’ve happened with it. He deserves to be here.”
Shortly after came the first Pokémon pack, though first there were questions about the All-Star Game’s Sunday pitcher rule, why he was in attendance unlike some players who opted out of playing, and a query about which player in the World Cup he would compare himself to (he doesn’t watch soccer, he replied).
“Who we looking for?” Misiorowski asked of the Pokémon pack. Charizard was the response.
“That’s what I was thinking.”
They did not pull a Charizard, but Misiorowski pocketed the cards, which were a gift from a media representative from the company that produced the original Pokémon TV show.
Next, another Shohei question: Would you rather face a Shohei-level hitting team or pitching team?
“Hitting,” Misiorowski said. “I feel like I have a better chance of beating that versus putting my guys up against a guy like that.”
The answers sum up Misiorowski. He’s confident without being brash and isn’t afraid to embrace that. While many pitchers may have ducked the question or said they don’t want to face nine Ohtanis in the box, Misiorowski is going to give you his most earnest answer.
“I feel like I’m myself with you guys,” he later said. “I think people can see that.”
Anyway, it was time to ask Misiorowski about labor relations. “I can’t really say,” he said of whether there will be a lockout next year.
A follow-up, though, was potentially relevant to Misiorowski: Does he have any thoughts on the league wanting to cap top-end free agent earnings?
“You trust your union and realize they have your best interest,” said Misiorowski, who hasn’t had any extension talks with the Brewers since his debut last July.
Velocity and PCA?
There were velocity questions, too.
How hard can a human realistically throw?
“108,” Misiorowski said, citing the old Sports Science episode.
Could he throw 108?
“I’m happy with 105.”
Misiorowski later said he “would love to be the guy to take down 106.” Considering he hit 105.5 mph last month with the fastest pitch ever recorded by a starter, it’s quite plausible he could do it.
More Ohtani questions. A question about Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaki Murakami. What does the All-Star Game mean to you? Who was your hero as a kid? (Answer: Adam Wainwright). Another Wheeler question.
Misiorowski wasn’t entirely sure why the Wheeler questions kept coming to him. Maybe it was a prime subject to be asked about Wheeler due to the Phillies’ comments about Misiorowski making the game last year; or maybe he was just there, and that was enough.
Next came the kid reporters, brothers known on social media as the Twinstripe Reporters, to produce one of the most enlightening answers from Misiorowski of the entire session.
“If you could add one player from the All-Star Game to your team, who would it be?”
Misiorowski pondered for a moment, but not a long one. He knew the answer.
“PCA,” he said.
It was none other than Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong who was on the receiving end of Misiorowski’s 105.5 mph fastball last month. Considering Misiorowski gears up the most for the other team’s best hitters, that should have been seen as a sign of respect.
“That’s a guy who you play four times a year, a guy you wish you didn’t have to face but you have to face,” he said.
Speaking of Crow-Armstrong, multiple Chicago reporters inquired about the Cubs.
Are they the biggest threat in the division?
“I don’t think any one team is the biggest.”
Are you saying there’s no difference between them and the other teams in the Central?
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the field,” Misiorowski said, dodging what he perceived as the implication of the question. “They’re all a challenge.”
Then came more Pokémon cards. This, more than anything, was the reprieve Misiorowski was looking for, an opportunity to put his guard down and rip some packs.
It lasted only a short while, though. Every time he looked up, there was a new member of the media trying to jump in with a question before anyone else did.
The dumbest stat in baseball? WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). If you could play with anyone in baseball history, who would it be? Barry Bonds. The key to your success this year? Cutting down walks. Are you going to win the Cy Young? It’s an awesome opportunity.
What have you thought about Cristopher Sanchez’s season? He was getting texts about them from time to time when they were neck-and-neck for the ERA lead. Cam Schlitler’s? He’s electric. Cheesesteak order? No onions, Wiz wit. Nastiest pitch Ohtani throws? Sweeper.
In all, Misiorowski received 108 questions. Overwhelming? “100 percent,” he said after. He answered each of them until, at last, the bell rang in the city famous for one. A member of the Brewers media relations stepped in and informed Misiorowski he needed to go to the field for a team photo.
Misiorowski looked at the employee, got up from his chair and asked no questions.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: All-Star Game shows that yes, Miz is now one of the faces of MLB
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
