Jacob Misiorowski was having a dream MLB debut until one awkward step forced him to exit the ballgame.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ prospect took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before he exited with an apparent injury. His final line: 5 innings, 0 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts and 81 pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday evening. The Brewers were leading 6-0 at the time of his exit, and that score held.

The injury appeared to occur when Misiorowski caught a spike while walking on the mound after a pitch. It looked like he was in good spirits while the Brewers athletic training staff checked on him, but the team was taking no chances with an arm considered to be a cornerstone of its future.

The Brewers later announced he left the game due to right calf and quad cramping, not the ankle he appeared to twist.

“Cramped up, and that’s when I just rolled it. All good, nothing crazy,” Misiorowski said after the game. “Of course I don’t want to leave like that. I feel like I could have kept going, but, you know, cramped up and stuff happens.”

Brewers reliever Nick Mears entered the game for Misiorowski behind 3-0 in the count against leadoff batter Victor Scott II and walked him, but Mears finished a hitless sixth inning. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras led off the seventh inning with a single to break up the no-hit bid.

Among the 81 pitches the 6-foot-7 Misiorowski threw, 14 were above 100 mph, per Statcast. That’s more than every Brewers starting pitcher combined has thrown since pitch tracking began in 2008, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. Every slider and changeup he threw was also above 90 mph. 

He topped out at 102.2 mph on his fifth pitch of the game.

The Brewers drafted Misiorowski out of Crowder (Mo.) Junior College in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, giving an above-slot $2.35 million to one of the draft’s most high-risk, high-reward prospects.

So far, it has been mostly reward. Misiorowski ranks 68th overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 and as Milwaukee’s fourth-best prospect, with an 80 fastball (elite), a 70 curveball (plus-plus) and a 60 slider (plus).

But while Misiorowski has some of the best stuff of any pitcher in the minors, his control has held him back. This year, he walked 12.3% of Triple-A batters before his call-up but offset that with a 31.6% strikeout rate. While walks remain a concern, the Brewers aren’t going to be too worried if he’s dominating against batters like he did Thursday.

Alex Toohey, F, Sydney Kings

Height: 6-8 • Weight: 223 • Age: 20

Summary: Toohey is a jack-of-all-trades Australian forward who grinds on defense and loves to dish the ball around. But his scoring comes and goes with his streaky jumper since he’s not someone who generates many of his own shots.

Comparisons: Georges Niang, Solomon Hill

Strengths

Defensive versatility: Toohey is a hard-working defender who stays locked in and makes positive plays all over the floor. He isn’t overly quick laterally but fights hard to stay in position of quicker players, and he has the strength to battle anyone.

Transition offense: As a big wing who’s active on the boards, he loves to push the pace on the break. He doesn’t have a lot of wiggle as a ball-handler, but has control in the open floor and good passing instincts.

Playmaking: Toohey is a selfless passer who always looks for his teammates. He executes plays at a high level and has a great basketball IQ. If his jumper develops, he could have even more value as a connective piece on the perimeter. This is because he already has skill as a slasher and cutter, so a jumper threat would make defenders need to respect him more and open more drives.

Concerns

Shooting: Toohey is a low-volume 3-point shooter who made only 28% of his 2.6 attempts per game in two overseas seasons. He has a smooth form, but shots don’t fall from the field or from the line, where he made only 70.7% of attempts.

Midrange scoring: He hasn’t shown an ability to drain pull-up jumpers, whether he’s driving in from the perimeter or operating with his back to the basket. Per Synergy, he made just two of his 16 post-ups. He lacks both a great first step and a tight handle in the half court.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

Nolan Traoré, G, Saint-Quentin

Height: 6-4 • Weight: 184 • Age: 18

Summary: Traoré oozes upside with his size, blazing speed, and shiftiness off the bounce. But he’s an inefficient scorer all over the floor who needs to improve his erratic decision-making to prove he’s worth the big swing.

Comparisons: Dejounte Murray, Scoot Henderson

Strengths

Speed: He’s the fastest player in this draft class with acceleration like a Bugatti. He’s able to go coast-to-coast with a flash, and with NBA spacing he could thrive getting downhill in the pick-and-roll to draw defenses and activate his playmaking.

Shot creation: Traoré isn’t just a speed demon. He keeps the ball on a string with crossovers, hesitations, and improvisation. If he’s able to develop a knockdown jumper, he could be tough to stop because of his ways to create separation. For now, he’s at his best when he’s attacking the basket to score acrobatically.

Playmaking: He makes some beautiful passes, driving into the paint then casually flipping a bullseye to the corner, or splitting a pick-and-roll, drawing a help defender, and then kicking it out to a shooter on the wing. He clearly knows how to use his speed to manipulate defenders. And if he can cut down on some of his careless turnovers, there’s some serious playmaking potential within.

Shooting upside: He’s making 75.6% of his free throws in his professional career overseas. Even though it hasn’t translated to consistent success in other areas on the floor, it’s at least a sign that there’s something there.

Concerns

Decision-making: He gets blinders on when he drives to the rim and ends up forcing away too many tough shot attempts.

Shooting consistency: He goes through stretches where he gets hot, then others where he barely skims the rim. His mechanics don’t seem to be an issue. But per Synergy, he’s making only 30.6% of catch-and-shoot 3s, 22.6% of dribble-jumper 3s, and 28.6% of dribble-jumper 2s. He also takes a ton of floaters and makes only 33.3% of those.

Defense: He lacks focus, intensity, awareness, strength. Basically anything that a coach would look for. He has a lot of learning to do to take advantage of his athletic gifts.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

Mark Sears, G, Alabama

Height: 5-11 • Weight: 183 • Class: Senior • Age: 23

Summary: Sears is a clutch college star who rains shots from everywhere behind an advanced array of ball-handling moves. But he was a pint-sized leader, and so often those players get torched on defense at the next level, shrinking them to bit-player status.

Comparisons: Jalen Brunson, Shabazz Napier

Strengths

Shot creation: He uses crossovers, half-spins, and long step-backs to launch from anywhere against anyone. But he also knows how to play with pace in the pick-and-roll, and how to weaponize his scoring to draw the gaze of multiple defenders to spray the ball to open teammates. He can make routine plays like bounce passes to rollers or accurate lobs to cutters, but he’ll also use his off-hand to fire fastballs to corner 3-point shooters.

Shooting: Good shooter off the catch who can drain 3s off movement using screens and handoffs, contorting his body mid-air before his high release. His numbers dipped as a fifth-year senior, but he’s also forcing 3s since Alabama doesn’t emphasize shooting midrange jumpers. Before transferring from Ohio, he displayed a similarly gorgeous ability to create space from midrange.

Leadership: Earned the trust of coach Nate Oats and was empowered to be a voice on and off the floor. He brings a contagious swagger and confidence that can’t help but influence his teammates. Aside from his clutch shot-making, he also just commits to playing defense despite his small stature, bringing intensity, fighting over screens, and communicating.

Concerns

Athleticism: Limited athletically with a lack of burst off the dribble, so he’ll need to develop elite footwork to become a true go-to shot-creator. And he needs space to thrive as a crafty below-the-rim scorer inside the paint. He made just 48.8% of layups this season, per Synergy.

Defense: Undersized defenders like him will always get targeted by offenses. There aren’t many 5-foot-10 players getting minutes in the NBA.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

Noa Essengue, F, Ratiopharm Ulm

Height: 6-9 • Weight: 198 • Age: 18

Summary: Essengue is a toolsy forward with a fluid handle, dynamic finishing package, and highly versatile defense. But his long-term upside hinges on the jumper clicking. And if it doesn’t, his defense must reach a level that prevents coaches from keeping him off the floor.

Comparisons: Nicolas Batum, Al-Farouq Aminu

Strengths

Fluid athleticism: Essengue just looks like an NBA player with enormous arms and graceful movements on the floor, whether he’s using an off-ball screen to slingshot toward the basket or sprinting in transition to ready for a lob dunk.

Drive game: He’s such a natural with the ball in his hands, using spin moves, euro-steps, and other fluid maneuvers to get into the paint. There, he can take off-balanced, wrong-footed layups and use either hand, or get flashy with Giannis-style scoop layups to score. And if he has room to leap, he can loudly dunk. All of these skills give him major face-up scoring potential, especially if he can successfully develop a perimeter jumper.

Shooting progress: Over three consecutive years, he’s gone from a hackable nonshooter to a player making 24.4% of his 3s and 70.1% of his free throws. The numbers aren’t great, but they’re a notable improvement. His form looks smooth, and he has good touch on layups and floaters near the basket. Maybe his upward trajectory continues in the years to come.

Passing: Essengue has a strong feel for the game. He pings the ball around the floor with decisive passes within the flow of the offense. He shows creativity with interior wrap-arounds and over-the-head passes out of the post to shooters across the court.

Versatile defense: Multi-positional defender who can switch onto smaller, quicker players or hold his own against larger ones. He can also be plugged into different positions, whether he needs to chase someone off screens and close out on shooters, or focus on offering help defense at the rim. He’s extremely active off-ball, showing strong focus rotating at the rim or getting his long arms in the passing lanes to rack up deflections.

Concerns

Shooting: He has made progress but still hasn’t proven he can be an effective floor spacer. Developing into a reliable shooter would unlock so many of his talents. It’s the key to his future.

Strength: He needs to fill out his lean frame, which would make him even more of a threat scoring at the rim and further enhance his defensive versatility. As of now, he can get overpowered on defense or get forced to take layups shying away from contact.

Fundamentals: He drives into traffic too often, which shows how his game still lacks polish. Unsurprising considering his youth, but an area that he needs to address in the years to come.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

Ben Saraf, G, Ratiopharm Ulm

Height: 6-5 • Weight: 202 • Age: 19

Summary: Saraf is a crafty lefty playmaker who relies on guile, footwork, and body control. Limited shooting and athleticism could cap his upside, but his positional size and skill could be hard to pass up.

Comparisons: D’Angelo Russell, Tomas Satoransky

Strengths

Pick-and-roll playmaking: Saraf has advanced poise for his age when using ball screens. He controls tempo, utilizes fakes to manipulate defenders, and delivers both creative and fundamental passes with precision. And though he’s a lefty, he has ambidextrous passing skill.

Scoring craft: He wears #77 for Ulm, and it shows he watches a lot of Luka Doncic film in the way he drives into the paint. He has immaculate footwork and uses subtle deceleration moves before laying in or floating up the ball with soft touch. But he’s a below-the-rim lefty finisher.

Positional size: He’s listed at 6-foot-6, so he has combo guard potential if his shooting off the catch continues to progress. He’s making 37.5% of those spot-up 3s this season, granted it’s on a low volume with his role being so on-ball heavy.

Concerns

Shooting: He’s never been a productive shooter. This season, he’s making only 15.6% of 3s off the dribble and 41% of dribble jumper 2s. Nor has he ever been better than average from the free throw line. This season, he’s making just 71.8% of his free throws.

Athleticism: He has a good first step but doesn’t have the speed burst button on his drives, so a lot of his shot-creation opportunities are contested. And though he finishes with craft, he’s a below-the-rim player who is way too lefty-dominant.

Defense: He has average lateral quickness and isn’t too strong, making him a target on defense. Perhaps over time if he gets stronger and focuses more energy into defense, he could tap into some versatility at his size.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

Hansen Yang, C, Qingdao

Height: 7-1 • Weight: 253 • Age: 19

Summary: Yang is a massive Chinese 7-footer who scores with old-school craft, passes well, and cleans the glass. But how much his slow feet and lack of shooting range can be improved will determine whether he can stick in the pros.

Comparisons: Nikola Vucevic

Strengths

Post scoring: Yang has a deep bag in the post with smooth footwork, primary moves, and the feel to make counters. When he establishes deep post positioning he’s hard to stop inside. This knack for scoring near the rim also translates to hitting layups off cuts and rolls.

Passing: Great passing vision for a big man. He makes quick decisions and generally delivers accurate passes. His Chinese team would even run offense through him. He could offer value playmaking out of handoffs.

Interior defense: He was an excellent rim protector and rebounder in China, using his massive frame to deter opponents and vacuum boards. He’ll need to prove it can translate to NBA competition without falling into foul trouble, but the ability is there.

Concerns

Perimeter defense: Hasn’t shown the ability to comfortably switch, even playing in China. He lacks the foot speed to do much more than play drop coverage.

Interior defense: Not an elite shot-blocker despite his size due to a lack of great length or leaping ability. Plus, he needs to get quicker moving in tight spaces to react to fast-moving NBA athletes attacking the rim.

Shooting: He made only 28% of his 3s, 29.2% of his 2-point jumpers, and 66.8% of his free throws. There’s not much evidence he’ll be able to shoot effectively.

Mindset: He played in the CBA. The speed and athleticism of the NBA is just on a dramatically different level that will test him in ways he never has been before. This matters purely for experience reasons, but also because he too often didn’t impose his will despite his physical advantages even at that level. The NBA will be an even greater challenge.

For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.