Brewers bold prediction is a bitter pill amid Jacob Misiorowski Opening Day start

The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is finally here, and today’s Opening Day storylines feature Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers taking the mound opposite Shane Smith of the Chicago White Sox, his former Biloxi Shuckers teammate, as both make their first of likely many career Opening Day starts.

As compelling as the Misiorowski vs. Smith matchup is, analysts have also weighed in ahead of the season with predictions about how the 2026 season will play out. Here at Reviewing the Brew, we offered three bold player predictions for the Brewers in 2026, which were rather optimistic, but elsewhere, national reporters aren't quite as positive. Take, for example, one prediction from CBS Sports, that we'll log away in the "tough pill to swallow" category.

All signs point to Jacob Misiorowski being locked into the Milwaukee Brewers' rotation, but one analyst isn’t convinced

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports is an exceptional analyst, with more than a decade of writing about baseball to his name. However, we must disagree with his recent bold prediction that Misiorowski will finish the 2026 season with more relief appearances than games started. Axisa pointed to inconsistency/control issues stemming from mechanics and the Brewers’ track record of maximizing pitchers by adjusting roles when needed as to why they could shift him into a long relief role more than a starter this season.

While Axisa is simply making a prediction, and a bold one at that, it overlooks the Brewers’ long-term vision of Misiorowski as a starter and his upside as a potential future ace. Yes, he showed some inconsistency last season, but that’s not unusual for a young power arm still refining his skills, and he locked in and found another level once the postseason arrived.

One comparison Axisa may be drawing from is how the Brewers handled Freddy Peralta early in his career. After making 14 starts in 16 appearances as a rookie in 2018, Peralta was shifted to the bullpen in 2019 following his first six outings (five starts and one relief appearance behind an opener). He went on to make 31 appearances out of the bullpen that season and remained in that role through 2020 before returning to the rotation in 2021.

While it’s not impossible that Misiorowski could log more relief appearances than starts this season, the evidence suggests otherwise. Milwaukee is handing him the ball on Opening Day, trusted him with bulk innings in the postseason, and hasn’t shown any indication that his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy, making it far more likely he remains a starter.