The Brewers have reached the final series of the first half in a strong spot, sitting atop the NL Central at 59-34 as they get set to open against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
That position has only made the spotlight on Jacob Misiorowski brighter. With Brandon Woodruff sidelined by a shoulder issue and Kyle Harrison dealing with an elbow injury more recently, Milwaukee has leaned hard on its ace, and Misiorowski has delivered every time he’s been asked.
On Friday, longtime MLB media member Jayson Stark of The Athletic named Misiorowski the NL Cy Young of the first half. But the race is far from closed, and Stark’s list of challengers is loaded.
Misiorowski is sitting on the kind of numbers that jump off the page: a 1.62 ERA, 167 strikeouts and a 0.76 WHIP, all of which lead MLB. Still, Cincinnati Reds All-Star Chase Burns has forced his way into the conversation.
Burns is 11-1, the best mark among pitchers not named Aaron Ashby, and he’s backed that up with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 18 starts. With Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes having a down year by his standards, Burns stands as Misiorowski’s main threat from the NL Central.
Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez is right there, too. The left-hander was the NL Cy Young runner-up to Skenes in 2025 and has stayed close to that level in 2026. The 29-year-old All-Star leads MLB in WAR at 5.1 and is tied for the league lead with 13 quality starts.
Then there’s the bullpen angle, and it comes with a long drought attached. No relief pitcher has won a Cy Young in either league since 2003, when former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne won the National League award.
San Diego Padres flamethrower Mason Miller is trying to end that run. He has been electric again, entering Friday with 23 saves, a 0.96 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings, which works out to 16.5 strikeouts per nine.
Zack Wheeler rounds out the group. The Phillies right-hander made the NL All-Star team in both 2024 and 2025, but was left out this year despite a strong start to the season after missing the first month with an injury. Since returning in late April, the 36-year-old has gone 9-1 and posted career bests in ERA at 2.28 and WHIP at 0.90 across 14 starts and 87 innings.
Misiorowski looks like the front-runner right now, but the second half still has plenty of room for one of these challengers to make a move.
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Brewers Top Prospect Jess Made Just Delivered A Huge Reminder
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Jake Bauers Sparks Another Brewers Win Over Cardinals Before The Break
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Milwaukee took four of five from St. Louis and has continued to stack wins as the All-Star break approaches, a stretch that has kept the club moving in the right direction even with the grind of the schedule. The Brewers have handled the first part of their longest road trip of the season well, and Bauers night was another reminder of how much little plays and timely power have mattered in that run. [Read more 🡒]