Jacob Misiorowski has as many wins as hits given up in his first three starts.

In general, it is VERY rare that the reality of something actually lives up to the hype. When I think about things like music or movies, I can count on one hand the amount of times a film or album lived up to its billing in my lifetime.

One example? Might be a dumb one, but I remember the movie Old School getting pumped HARD before its premiere. Trailer after trailer after trailer, hype, hype, hype. My buddies and I went to the movie theater to see it opening weekend, and we left with tears in our eyes, everyone agreeing that it was one of the best comedies we had every seen. I recall as a kid we were all promised that Jurassic Park was going to blow our minds, and it did. Top Gun: Maverick pretty much lived up to its billing a few years ago too.

Well, it would appear that Jacob Misiorowski, at least through three starts, is one of those things that is as advertised. We’ve been teased and tantalized and titillated for the last three seasons as Le Miz has made his way through the minor league system. This kind of awkward looking 6’6 kid with a howitzer of a right arm, who was blowing people away at 100+mph as a starting pitcher. He had some walk issues, sure, but the numbers, the spin rate, the velocity, it all screamed that he was going to be a star at the major league level.

But long is the list of pitchers with that kind of hype that puke once they get the call up to Milwaukee. Nick Neugebauer, Ben Hendrickson, Jose Capellan, Manny Parra, Mike Jones, Mark Rogers, just to name a few.

So far though? This kid has been unbelievable. Everything we read about him, he is. Consistently throws triple digits, 96 mph slider (which is absurd), a 92 mph CHANGEUP. He attacks the zone, has poise, a boatload of confidence, it’s like an injection of life when he’s on the mound. The Brewers have had more success recently with pitching prospects. Pre-injury Brandon Woodruff lived up to the hype, Corbin Burnes won a Cy Young, even Freddy Peralta has been pretty much what we were hoping for. But Misiorowski feels like a step above even those guys.

Now look, it’s been three starts. Let’s not put him in the HOF just yet. But I feel like we can safely say that he has it. He’s going to have starts where he gives up a bunch of runs and loses like all pitchers do, but man, you don’t want to miss a pitch when he’s on the mound right now.

And add in what we’ve seen so far from Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick and Logan Henderson? All of a sudden we have a bumper crop of young, controllable arms. Fun!

PS: The last pitcher I can remember that had Misiorowski’s ‘rock star’ feel when he’s on the mound was the half season we had with CC. When it was CC’s day to start, it felt like the Rolling Stones or The Beatles were performing at Miller Park. You didn’t want to miss it, and if you could be there, you wanted to be there. Ben Sheets had a little bit of that right when he got called up too, but Sabathia is the last one that I can recall before Miz.