Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski's Top Competition For NL Cy Young Includes These Four Pitchers

Nobody beats the Miz

Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers will begin their final series of the first half of the MLB season on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and are in great position atop the NL Central at 59-34.

With the likes of Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) and more recently, Kyle Harrison (elbow) nursing injuries heading into All-Star break, the Brewers will continue to rely heavily on ace Jacob Misiorowski.

The Miz has answered the call time and time again and on Friday, was named the NL Cy Young of the first half by longtime MLB media member Jayson Stark of The Athletic.

Who are some of Misiorowski's top competition for the hardware according to Stark though?

Chase Burns

Jul 8, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns (26) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Misiorowski leads MLB in ERA (1.62), strikeouts (167) and WHIP (0.76), while Cincinnati Reds All-Star Chase Burns paces all pitchers not named Aaron Ashby with 11 wins against just one loss.

Burns has also recorded an elite 2.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 18 starts and with Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Paul Skenes having a down year (by his standards), the Reds ace is Misiorowski's primary competition from the NL Central.

Cristopher Sanchez

Jul 6, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez was the NL Cy Young runner-up to Skenes in 2025 and has been nearly as good in 2026.

The 29-year-old All-Star leads MLB in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 5.1 and is tied for first with 13 quality starts.

Mason Miller

Jul 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller (22) celebrates after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A relief pitcher hasn't won a Cy Young award in either league since 2003 when former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne took home the National League hardware.

San Diego Padres flamethrower Mason Miller is looking to break the 23-year drought.

Miller has been dominant again this year, entering Friday with 23 saves, a 0.96 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 69 strikeouts across 37 2/3 innings pitched, good for 16.5 punchouts per nine innings.

Zack Wheeler

Jul 7, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) prepares to throw against the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies right-handed starter Zack Wheeler made back-to-back NL All-Star teams in 2024 and 2025 yet somehow wasn't voted into this year's Midsummer Classic.

Wheeler missed the first month of the 2026 campaign due to injury but has been superb since his season debut in late April.

The 36-year-old is 9-1 with career bests in ERA (2.28) and WHIP (0.90) over his first 14 starts and 87 innings pitched.

Misiorowski looks like the current NL Cy Young frontunner, but any of these other four pitchers could certainly make a case for the award with a strong second half.