The Milwaukee Brewers have spent the first half of the season doing what good teams do: piling up wins with sharp pitching and enough timely offense to keep control of the NL Central. Now one of their biggest arms is drawing award buzz, with Jacob Misiorowski emerging as the leading name in the 2026 National League Cy Young race heading into the All-Star break.
That case got a major push from The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, who framed Misiorowski’s season in the kind of company that makes you stop and look twice. Stark wrote:
“Bob Gibson was the man with the 1.12 ERA, in 1968. Nolan Ryan was the human K-mart with 383 strikeouts, in 1973.
Denny McLain was the last 30-game winner of the 20th (or any other) century, in 1968. They’re a remainder that, once in a while, a pitcher has a season that reverberates through the ages.
And I think we’re witnessing one of those right now, in beautiful downtown Milwaukee.
“At his current pace, Miz is going to wind up with a 1.62 ERA … and 290 strikeouts in ony 185 innings … while those poor mortals who have to hit against him compile a .148 average and a .450 OPS - which computes to a league full of guys simulating the blistering offense of 2017 Jon Lester (.148 average, .463 OPS).”
Misiorowski is set to make one more start before the 2026 All-Star Game, which takes him out of the mix to start for the National League. Even so, his numbers are already loud enough to put him at the front of the pack. Through 18 starts, the Brewers right-hander is 10-4 with a 1.62 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 111.0 innings.
For a pitcher with just two years of MLB experience, that’s a staggering run. And while the field includes names like Shohei Ohtani, Cristopher Sanchez, Sandy Alcantara, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Misiorowski looks like the one setting the pace right now. The next 12-15 starts will still matter, but for the moment, he’s built himself a real cushion at the top of the Cy Young conversation.
In Other News...
Brewers Suddenly Have A Bigger Jacob Misiorowski Concern Than Fans Realized
Jacob Misiorowskis first half was strong enough to send him to his second All-Star Game, but the Brewers are now managing something more immediate than awards season buzz. The right-hander has been one of the most important arms in Milwaukees rotation, and the clubs decision to hold him out of the series against the Miami Marlins after the break underscores how carefully it has to handle a pitcher who has carried a heavy load.
Misiorowski had already been skipped for his final start before the break and did not pitch in the All-Star Game, so the Brewers have been building in caution for a bit. The bigger question now is how Milwaukee maps out the next turn through the rotation, especially with no starter announced yet for the three-game home set, leaving the team to balance short-term coverage with the health of its best arm. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Still Found Value In An Easton McGee Trade
After Easton McGee was designated for assignment earlier in July, the Brewers still managed to turn the right-hander into a little more roster flexibility by sending him to the Royals for cash considerations. McGees Milwaukee stint was brief, with only a couple of major league appearances on the ledger this season, and the move fit the kind of low-risk, low-drama transaction that often follows a pitcher who has been shuttling between levels.
Kansas Citys announcement added the next layer to the deal, with McGee headed to Triple-A Omaha as the Royals sorted out their own pitching picture. The transaction also came with a roster note involving Nick Mears, but for Milwaukee, the more interesting part is simply that a pitcher who had already been pushed off the Brewers active mix still brought back something of value instead of disappearing outright. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Trout Just Validated What Brewers Fans Know About Misiorowski
Jacob Misiorowski has already built a reputation in Milwaukee for making hitters look overmatched, and it apparently does not stop with opposing lineups. Mike Trout recently added a little national validation to what Brewers fans have been saying all along, praising just how hard it is to do anything meaningful against the right-handers stuff. For a pitcher still in the middle of a standout 2026 season, that kind of endorsement from one of the games biggest stars only adds to the buzz.
Trout also floated a playful idea about bringing a fan into the All-Star Game to show how difficult major league pitching really is, which only underscores how extreme Misiorowskis challenge can feel from the batters box. For Milwaukee, the bigger point is simpler: the Brewers have a young arm performing at a level that is getting noticed well beyond their own clubhouse, and the leagues best hitters are starting to say the quiet part out loud. [Read more 🡒]