MIAMI – Jacob Misiorowski, more often than not, keeps his process close to his vest. Take, for example, his postgame comments after his latest outing April 19 at loanDepot Park.
Did he make any adjustments to go from a rough first inning to racking up the whiffs after that?
“No.”
So what did he do to get better results?
“Nothing.”
And how would he sum up how he’s thrown the ball through five starts?
“Decent,” he said. “Not great. Decent.”
For Misiorowski and the Brewers, the good news is that, right now, there’s no need for answers on the mound.
His numbers – a 1-2 record and 3.04 earned run average – don’t jump off the page, but those also mask how well he’s been throwing the ball.
In every start since his opening day masterpiece, Misiorowski has been electric, save for one blip on the radar. Some of those were unlucky aberrations, too.
In his latest outing, a five-inning start with nine strikeouts and one earned run in the Brewers’ 5-3 loss to the Marlins April 19, it was a leadoff walk and a costly error out of the gates. The start prior, he was sick and trying just not to vomit when throwing his curveball. In Boston, he looked as sharp as ever out of the gates before his legs gave out in the sixth inning of 25-degree weather. And in the start preceding that, against Tampa Bay, he was untouchable until a 15-minute umpire change, after which he looked like an entirely different pitcher.
That’s not to say that each of those things didn’t happen for Misiorowski. They did. They’re also probably a big reason why Misiorowski hasn’t taken that next big step forward early in the season results-wise.
BOX SCORE: Marlins 5, Brewers 3
That’s because, underneath the hood, there are ample encouraging signs for Misiorowski. The signs have many with the Brewers, from the front office down to the coaching staff, raving about not only what it could look like if he puts it all together, but also how close he might just be to doing just that.
“Is it there yet?” pitching coach Chris Hook said. “No. But we’re building the foundation.”
Ask Misiorowski where, exactly, he’s advanced and he’s not likely to disseminate that information. A look at the numbers can tell you some of it. Misiorowski, after getting 18 whiffs on 44 swings in Miami, is operating at a ludicrous 40% whiff rate through five starts. Hitters are having a tough time squaring him up, tallying only six extra-base hits. The fastball has been dominant with a .193 expected batting average and 41.5% whiff rate despite not being at its typical velo until facing Miami, when it averaged 99.7 mph.
“I think he’s throwing the ball great,” manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s progressing.. He took care of what he needed to take care of. He was efficient today. He was good. It’s a really good sign.”
In Misiorowski’s case, you can’t quite just use the numbers to describe why he’s so close to putting the pieces together. To get there, you have to see it. You have to feel it.
Ask around the Brewers and they’ll provide many different answers about why they feel in their gut that their 23-year-old ace is close. Some say it’s how he’s trusting his stuff, or how he’s moving down the mound, or his preparation or how he’s reading hitters.
The answers vary but the feeling does not; the Brewers like what they’re seeing.
“I just think there’s an awareness,” Hook said. “When he first got here I watch it now where last year it was great stuff and it was, ‘Here it comes.’ I think there’s some pitchability in there. I think he understands where he’s at. You have to do it for 30 starts, but there’s a better awareness of where he’s at.”
Brandon Woodruff sees Misiorowski growing into a delivery that’s in control and direct to the plate.
“Direction is big for him in his delivery,” he said. “When he’s direct and throwing the ball over the plate, he can afford to miss some spots. As soon as he’s nailing that down and getting consistent hitting his spots, man, it’s 100 and it frees up the rest of the plate up.”
In each of his five starts so far, Misiorowski has shown not only extended glimpses of that clean delivery and strike-throwing, but that’s been the norm for the greater majority of each of his outings. That, to Woodruff, stands out.
“He could be deGromish and throw two pitches in one spot,” Woodruff said. “That’s how good he is.”
Misiorowski, to some degree, will always command attention on a national scale after the way he took the league by storm initially a year ago. As he’s gone about his business this year, though, the headlines haven’t been as robust even though he leads the majors in strikeouts.
“We want to keep that a top secret,” Hook said. “I think there’s a benefit from us being in Milwaukee.”
If Misiorowski keeps throwing the ball like he has been and begins to get a couple bounces here or there that haven’t gone his way to this point, Hook won’t get his wish on that front, but the lanky right-hander will be taking off. And that, Hook probably won’t mind.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The numbers don’t show just how close Jacob Misiorowski may be to dominating
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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