Through five major league outings, the Milwaukee Brewers‘ Jacob Misiorowski was running away with NL Rookie of the Year. He’d just outdueled Clayton Kershaw in a 12-strikeout masterpiece and been selected for the All-Star Game. Two shortened starts and a ball-to-the-shin later, he’s fallen to the fringes of the race.
For the moment, Miz is out of the mix
Misiorowski’s injury, labeled a left tibia contusion, doesn’t seem too serious. After taking a line drive to the leg in the first inning against the Cubs, he stuck around to complete four innings. The team didn’t announce his trip to the 15-day injured list until yesterday. Retroactive to July 31, his stint there will cost him at least two starts but hopefully no more than that.
Because he did not debut until June, though, that’s a significant blow to his ROY chances, especially not knowing for certain whether he will rejoin the active roster as soon as the 15 days expire. If anything comes up, the Brewers won’t rush him back. Once a sizable minus-money favorite, Misiorowski is up to a +1500 longshot on the award odds leaderboard.
It doesn’t help that he fell short of five innings each of his last two outings. Already operating on a loose innings restriction, a 40-pitch first frame shortened his day considerably versus Chicago, though he finished strong.
As are his overall numbers. Through seven starts, the rookie flamethrower has a 2.70 ERA in 33.1 innings. The Miz has whiffed 47 while allowing just 18 hits. For the most part, he’s kept his command in check.
It’s not just the stats, either, it’s his stuff. His heater sheds sparks. His curveball drops like a hammer. His slider has the bite of a snake. With the requisite “wow” to go with his wins, across an adequate sample size, he’d be all but a lock to take home the hardware.
Rival rookie back ahead of pack, Milwaukee Brewers’ other youngsters lurk below
In the betting market, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin has reclaimed his status as favorite. Things can change quickly, as evidenced by Misiorowski’s injury, but this late in the season, other candidates are running out of time to catch up.
The Brewers still have a top three entry in the form of rookie left fielder Isaac Collins, at +810 consensus odds. In under 300 plate appearances, he’s hitting .279/.378/.405 with a 2.3 WAR and 12 steals. He has saved five runs in the field.
Farther down the odds list, the roster also boasts third baseman Caleb Durbin, whose batting stats are less impressive but has provided basically equivalent value: a 2.4 WAR in 87 games.
Oh, and the rookie who replaces Misiorowski in the rotation, Logan Henderson, owns a 1.78 ERA in five starts. Making his first big-league appearance since May, he allowed one run in 4.1 innings Sunday against Washington.
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