'He should enjoy it': Brewers back Misiorowski's inclusion in ASG

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers pitching phenom Jacob Misiorowski didn’t have time to look at his phone on Saturday morning, and he certainly didn’t have the inclination to wade into the conversation about his addition to the National League All-Star team on Friday after just five MLB starts. The 23-year-old had a more immediate concern.

He was 72 hours from walking the All-Star Game red carpet on Tuesday afternoon, and he needed a suit to fit his 6-foot-7 frame.

Thankfully, Christian Yelich had a guy.

“I'm obviously happy for him,” said Yelich, a three-time All-Star in his own right. “He's had a great start to his career and it will be fun to see him out there.”

“Fun” being the operative word, as Yelich sees it.

“I understand why some people feel the way they feel, just because it's a small sample,” Yelich said. “But at the end of the day, this is the entertainment business. People want to be entertained. It's a showcase of some of the best and most exciting players in the game; that's what an All-Star Game is.

“I think Miz is definitely that, right?”

He certainly has been entertaining. Misiorowski’s very first pitch in the Majors was a 100.5 mph fastball, and his 11-plus hitless innings to begin his career were a record going back to at least 1901. One month into his career, Misiorowski has already won games pitching opposite current and former All-Stars Paul Skenes, Clayton Kershaw, Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray. In his final start before the break, Misiorowski struck out 12 Dodgers in six electric innings.

Still, Brewers manager Pat Murphy was sensitive to the uniqueness of this historic nod. Before Misiorowski, Skenes’ 11 career starts prior to starting last year’s Midsummer Classic were the fewest career games for an All-Star, and Murphy’s honest initial reaction was that it seemed sudden. He asked Misiorowski to keep the news to himself during Friday’s 8-3 win over the Nationals at American Family Field.

Why? The Brewers, like so many other clubs, have players they consider worthy of All-Star consideration who were left out. Murphy wanted to explain that to the team before sharing Misiorowski’s good news.

“I originally said, 'Hey, what a great idea: Say no and say, hey, I'm not deserving. These other guys deserve it more than me. Pick one of my teammates,’” Murphy said.

But the more he thought about that, he reconsidered.

“Is that really best for him?” Murphy said. “The league?”

Watching Misiorowski’s genuine reaction made Murphy believe it was the right call to accept. Misiorowski choked up while trying to thank his teammates for their role in his early success.

“I think he understands,” Murphy said. “Like, ‘I didn't earn this by going out like all these other guys did and pitching 21 games or whatever the number starts have been for a normal starter. This is a privilege, and this is something that they've asked me to do because it's good for the game at this time in their minds. So I have an obligation to go perform.’

“And what a good experience for him. Not just the All-Star Game, but going through all this. [Even] getting criticized. What a great experience for the kid.”

Misiorowski will have company with two-time All-Star Freddy Peralta, who will start for the Brewers on Sunday and thus will be inactive in Atlanta. Peralta’s replacement on the active roster was first-time All-Star Trevor Megill, the latest in a line of Milwaukee closers to make the Midsummer Classic.

“From what I can see is that [Misiorowski] is taking it all the right way,” Peralta said. “He looks nice and calm. He’s not crazy excited about what people on TV say, he just comes in here and does what he needs to do to pitch every five days. I like the way he’s been handling all that. Hopefully, we keep him that way.”

The Brewers official who has known Misiorowski’s mindset the longest is Riley Bandelow, the area scout who first found Misiorowski in suburban Kansas City in the summer of 2019 as Misiorowski approached his senior season at Grain Valley High School.

The stuff wasn’t as electric back then; Misiorowski’s fastball was 88-92 mph. But the way he moved his long frame made him exceedingly projectable, and Bandelow began writing glowing reports. He found himself mentioning Misiorowski in meetings even when the topic was entirely different.

“I don’t think anything really affects the kid. He’s never really been overwhelmed by anything,” Bandelow said. “Whatever’s happened, he just always bounces back.”

Take Misiorowski's one tough outing so far in the Major Leagues, a July 2 loss to the Mets at Citi Field in which he surrendered back-to-back homers, starting with a grand slam, and didn’t make it through the fourth inning.

“I would have bet the world that he was going to come out the next outing and dominate,” Bandelow said.

He was right. Misiorowski surrendered a Shohei Ohtani home run to begin his next outing, then struck out 12 of the next 16 Dodgers.

“He’s so genuine that he doesn’t get rattled by outside noise,” Bandelow said. “He’s just a normal dude that is really talented at pitching. Watching him get up and give that speech in front of the team, it broke me up, too.”

Bandelow is in the middle of high season for amateur scouts, with the Draft running Sunday and Monday, followed by a flurry of activity to sign players. But he will find time to put his phone down on Tuesday night to watch Misiorowski pitch in the All-Star Game.

“When he’s pitching, that’s my time to step away from everything and get to enjoy what he’s doing,” Bandelow said.

Yelich offered some good advice for Misiorowski before he takes the mound.

“There's going to be people that say things about you your entire career, so if you let them get to you, it's going to be a lot of long nights in this game,” Yelich said. “It's an honor, he should enjoy it. And if people don't like it, [forget] 'em.”