The case for Jacob Misiorowski being included on the Brewers' 2025 playoff roster

Jacob Misiorowski's season was about as topsy-turvy as a rookie can have.

He was named an All-Star after a dominant debut month in which he struck out 33.7% of the hitters he faced and surrendered a 2.81 ERA.

Then, the second half began, and injuries and ineffectiveness began to plague the fireballing 23-year-old. In 40.1 frames after the All-Star break, Misiorowski's ERA ballooned to 5.36 as he started walking a few more hitters and found strikeouts harder to come by.

Even as injuries felled a few of the Brewers' better starters — Brandon Woodruff's and Jose Quintana's playoff status remains in question — Misiorowski was relegated to the bullpen at the end of the season, a role he'll certainly fill in the postseason if he makes the roster.

There are reasons to believe Miz isn't reliable enough to handle the pressure innings of October. Lord knows the last thing the Brewers need is another late-inning collapse in the postseason.

But with his talent and velocity, it'll be hard to keep the rookie sensation out of Milwaukee's most important games of the season.

Why Jacob Misiorowski should be in the Brewers' postseason bullpen

Let's start with the obvious: Misiorowski throws gas.

His fastball routinely touches triple digits and is one of the more effective heaters among all major league pitchers. It should only play up out of the bullpen, and along with fellow flamethrowers Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill, Pat Murphy could have his pick of the litter when it comes to bringing the heat out of the 'pen.

Need proof of how important velocity is in the postseason? Just watch a recap of Game 2 of the Wild Card Round between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, wherein the Friars completely neutered the North Siders' explosive offense by averaging over 99 mph on their fastballs.

One other benefit of putting Miz in the bullpen is that he can be reserved for more favorable matchups, rather than having to handle lineups multiple times through the order.

While Misiorowski struck out lefties at a stunning rate this year (38.6%), he surrendered a .731 OPS to those hitters. Compare that to his sterling .609 OPS allowed to right-handed batters, and it's clear that there's an obvious path to getting some clean innings out of the rookie in the right situations.

On a more technical level, Misiorowski's slider was hit hard this season — opposing batters slugged .534 against the pitch. In shorter stints on the mound, he can eliminate some of the usage of his slider and hone in on his far more effective fastball (.312 SLG allowed) and curveball (.385 SLG allowed).

Of course, having Misiorowski on the playoff roster doesn't mean he'll be trusted in high-leverage situations right away. But talent tends to triumph this time of year, and there's no denying what Misiorowski brings to the table in that regard.