Brewers star rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski ‘speechless’ as he’s named National League All-Star after 5 big league starts

Misiorowski is heading to the Mid-Summer Classic while others around the league are snubbed

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Brewers star rookie starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski has captivated the baseball world. The hard-throwing righty, who began his MLB career throwing 100.5 mph over five-plus hitless frames and then took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Twins, is now heading to the Mid-Summer Classic.

The 6-foot-7 hurler was named to the National League All-Star team on Friday as a replacement for Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. Misiorowski earns the honor of becoming an All-Star after making just five big league starts, where he’s dominated opposing lineups. In his first five starts, he has a record of 4-1, a 2.81 ERA, 33 strikeouts against 11 walks, an opponent batting average of .138, and an impressive WHIP of 0.90.

The Brewers second-round pick back in 2022 becomes the quickest player to make his MLB debut and then be named an All-Star. Pirates’ Paul Skenes made 11 starts before he was named an All-Star last season, according to Elias. Skenes had thrown 66 1/3 innings and recorded a 1.90 ERA to earn his first selection.

Misiorowski joins Skenes (2011), Mark Fidrych (1976), Hideo Nomo (1995), and Dontrelle Willis (2003) as pitchers to appear in the fewest games before being named an All-Star.

“He’s our Forrest Gump,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He was moved, and he addressed the team, even. It was, like only he could be, tremendously genuine. He's very grateful and very thankful, and he understands this is the entertainment business.

"He's garnered so much attention that while he's made only five starts, he's going to the All-Star Game. This is a business, and he's done that for himself. It's not a matter of anything else other than people want to see him pitch."

The 23-year-old phenom found out he was going to be an All-Star prior to the Brewers 8-3 win on Friday night over the Nationals at American Family Field. His skipper told him to keep it a secret until after the game. Murphy would later tell the entire team following the game. His coaches and teammates congratulated Misiorowski, who had tears in his eyes.

“I’m speechless,” Misiorowski said. “It’s very unexpected, and it’s an honor. It’s been a long time coming, and I just want to honor the guys around me and be a Brewer.”

“When he addressed the team, he was like only he could be, and that’s tremendously genuine,” Murphy said. “He was very grateful and very thankful, and he understands that this is the entertainment business, and he’s garnered so much attention that while only five starts [into his career], he’s going to the All-Star Game.”

Many will argue whether or not Misiorowski should have been named an All-Star after just five MLB appearances. Being named an All-Star is an honor, and it also has a financial impact on players around the league who are selected for the exhibition game. Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez was an All-Star snub after recording a strong first half for Philadelphia. He went 7-2 with a 2.49 ERA over 107 2/3 innings. Despite an impressive showing, Sanchez's agent expressed his displeasure at his client's lack of recognition.

“Cristopher Sanchez @phillies, being left off the All-Star team is a travesty,” posted Gene Mato on his X account to defend Sanchez. “The numbers, cannot be ignored, even if he is scheduled to start on Sunday. Something has to change @MLB,” he wrote in his post.”

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman quote tweeted Mato’s post with statistics to back up the claim of Sanchez being an All-Star snub.

“Sanchez has 4.2 WAR (3rd in NL for pitchers), 2.59 ERA (4th in NL), 7-2 record, and 116 K’s. Agreed, a Sunday start should not eliminate All-Star eligibility,” Heyman posted.

Misiorowski’s numbers are impressive even if the sample size is incredibly small. MLB must have its best players in the All-Star Game, but it also needs to showcase its future stars. For Misiorowski, he had nothing going on during the break; his plans have now altered, and it’ll be even more exciting if he pitches in Atlanta.

"I was going to do nothing. Now I'm doing something," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "It's going to be fun."