Cubs and 3 contenders that must regret passing on Jacob Misiorowski the most

It seems like every other week, another phenom introduces himself to MLB fans around the country. But very few of those introductions have been as loud as Milwaukee Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski. After dazzling in five no-hit innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his MLB debut earlier this month, Misiorowski threw six more frames without a hit in his second outing against the Minnesota Twins.

And it's not just the numbers that he's putting up. It's the way he's doing it, with a triple-digits heater and a slider/cutter that runs up into the mid 90s. Yes, you read that correctly.

With stuff like that, surely Misiorowski was a can't-miss prospect, right? Well, not exactly: A product of Missouri's Crowder College, the 6-foot-7 righty was drafted in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft at pick No. 63 overall.

Yes, every MLB team had a chance to draft him and declined, many of them multiple times. There's some context to that: Misiorowski was a very unfinished product who hadn't faced stiff competition in college, and his command was and to some extent still remains a work in progress. Still, that has to sting, and none more so than these four current contenders who could really use him in the rotation.

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4. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals took two pitchers in the first 60 picks of the 2022 draft. Oregon State righty Cooper Hjerpe is set to miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, while 23-year-old Brycen Mautz is currently sporting a 4.53 ERA over 11 starts at Double-A.

It's still too early to write the book on either player; Hjerpe, in particular, has flashed some promise, and was running eye-popping K rates in the Minors before his injury. But it still has to sting having had two cracks at college righties in the draft and watching Misiorowski lap both of them before they even get past Double-A. Given the uncertainty in St. Louis' rotation both now and going forward, this could be a pick that dogs John Mozeliak long after he leaves the organization.

3. San Diego Padres

The Padres, on the other hand, drafted three pitchers in 2022 before the Brewers picked Misiorowski. The first two were the sorts of toolsy upside swings that AJ Preller has become known for in San Diego, and both seem destined to bust: First-rounder Dylan Lesko has stalled out at High-A with the Tampa Bay Rays, while Robby Snelling is now with the Miami Marlins organization and has a 4.18 ERA over 12 starts at Double-A.

San Diego had a third pick with Misiorowski on the board, and they took a college righty. But Iowa product Adam Mazur got rocked in his lone shot at a starting spot last season, and he's now also in Miami after being included along with Snelling in the Tanner Scott deal. That's not the best track record, and the Padres are feeling the effects now with Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish on the IL and precious little depth behind them.

2. New York Yankees

The jury's still very much out on New York's first-round pick that year, massive Vanderbilt outfielder Spencer Jones — currently leading Double-A in wRC+. Their second pick, though, was spent on righty Drew Thorpe, exactly two picks before Milwaukee selected Misiorowski.

Granted, Thorpe was included in the deal that got Juan Soto from the Padres, although Michael King was the headliner there. He then found his way to the Chicago White Sox, where he struggled in the rotation before going down with Tommy John surgery this spring. When he's right, Thorpe has flashed upside and even landed on some top-100 lists as a prospect. He's not in Misiorowski's class, though, and that was even before a major elbow operation. The Yankees sure would love to have him in the rotation right now, especially after losing Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil to injury.

1. Chicago Cubs

Beggars can't be choosers here, of course. The Chicago Cubs currently lead the Brewers in the NL Central, and the pitcher they chose in the top 10 in the 2022 draft, Cade Horton out of Oklahoma, has gotten off to a promising start to his big-league career this season.

But Chicago had another chance to land Misiorowski in the second round, and they instead opted for high school pitcher Jackson Ferris. Ferris was part of the trade that brought Michael Busch over from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but after throwing in the low Minors, he's had a rude awakening in Double-A, pitching to a 6.58 ERA over 12 appearances in Tulsa. The Cubs feel one pitcher away from stamping themselves as true World Series favorites, especially with Justin Steele out for the year. Imagine if that pitcher were Misiorowski?