Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski came into the season fresh off a rookie campaign that was strong, but came with some concerns.
These concerns have been quickly extinguished as he’s not only established himself as the Brewers’ go-to starter, he’s become one of the best pitchers in baseball and maybe the hardest-throwing starter of all time.
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While he currently leads the league with 88 strikeouts, it’s Misiorowski’s ridiculous velocity that’s made this season historic. During a recent start against the Yankees, he threw the seven fastest pitches thrown by a starter in MLB history.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Misiorowski is already the hardest-throwing starter in MLB history, at least since the pitch-tracking era began in 2008. Experts say that Misiorowski is likely the hardest-pitching starter ever, regardless of the stat-tracking limitations.
MLB.com’s Mike Petriello said it best in a recent story on Misiorowski’s historic velocity.
“In the previous 18 seasons of pitch tracking, including postseason, we’ve seen only 39 [102 mph] pitches from starters, excluding what Misiorowski himself did last year,” Petriello wrote. “This season alone, he’s done it 45 times. It’s mid-May. He’s topped every starter over the last nearly two decades, in just six weeks.”
Misiorowski’s incredible speed isn’t just for show, though. He’s made even more MLB history by stringing together five straight starts of eight or more strikeouts and no extra-base hits allowed, becoming the first player ever to do so.
He’s ravaging hitters at the plate this season, currently boasting the highest strikeout percentage of any pitcher in MLB history.
Unfortunately, velocity tracking didn’t exist until 2008, so we’ll never be able to verify 100% that Misiorowski’s power tops every starter that ever lived.
But the two decades of data shows velocity recordings consistently trending upwards and there’s no reason to believe that pitching velocity reached an all-time high in the decades and decades prior.
Of course, this type of velocity on such a consistent basis can pose a huge risk for serious injury. But Misiorowski shows no signs of letting up and his elite pitching has translated into wins.
He has the Brewers atop the National League Central at 29-18. If he keeps this up, he’ll be in the running for the Cy Young Award.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
