The Major League Baseball season is rapidly coming to a close, with just a month left to go until playoff seeds are decided, and October baseball is upon us. For the surging Milwaukee Brewers, it is about getting healthy and staying healthy.
They currently hold a five-game lead for the best record in baseball and the top seed in the National League. With a month of baseball remaining, Milwaukee sits atop the NL Central, holding a 6.5-game lead over the Chicago Cubs.
With Trevor Megill placed on the 15-day IL with a hamstring injury, the Brewers gain significant flexibility in managing their starting rotation and bullpen.
Could Jacob Misiorowski Close Games in the Playoffs?
Everyone knows what rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski can provide to a pitching staff by this point. The 23-year-old flamethrower has struggled a bit as a starter as of late, but his stuff is electric, and he may need more time to develop into a true starter. Luckily for the Brewers, they already have a loaded starting rotation, and may be able to use Misiorowski in a bullpen role.
Bleacher Report recently came out with a bold prediction piece, and noted that Jacob Misiorowski could close out games for the Brewers if Trevor Megill doesn’t return in time:
“He threw 71.1 innings in the minors in 2023, 97.1 last season, and he is already at 107 innings this year with a month left. At five innings per start, he’s on pace for about 130 innings in 2025. We can save the “They don’t make ’em like they used to” conversations for another day, but surely there is a reluctance in Milwaukee to overwork its flame-throwing 23-year-old.
The Brewers have already been rolling with a six-man rotation, and with Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana and Brandon Woodruff all boasting a sub-3.40 ERA for the year, it’s not like they need The Miz in the rotation to have a real chance of winning it all. And with closer Trevor Megill landing on the IL with a flexor strain, the door is open for Misiorowski to serve in more than just “a relief role” in the postseason.
The Brewers Are Now in Need of a Closer
Indeed, not the boldest prediction in the piece by Bleacher Report, but suddenly, the Brewers have an opening at the closer spot. If Megill returns healthy this month, he will be the guy in the playoffs. Megill has 30 saves this season and a SUB-2.50 ERA.
However, Misiorowski has the stuff to be effective for at least one inning, and most of his struggles as a starter have come whenever the opposing lineup has seen him multiple times.
In 43.2 innings at the big league level this season, Misiorowski has 65 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.099. He’s issuing 4.3 BB/9, but in playoff baseball, allowing one or two walks is fine when he doesn’t need to pitch four or five innings.
It will be interesting to see how Milwaukee handles the closer role down the stretch of the regular season.
Brewers Predicted to Make Massive Jacob Misiorowski Change