Which (if any) of the Brewers top prospects do you think will make their MLB debut this year?
-- @sethkok on Twitter

MLB Pipeline unveiled its preseason Brewers Top 30 on Monday with a trio of hitters at the top -- Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang and Hedbert Perez. But it’s the three lefties at No. 4 (Ethan Small), No. 6 (Antoine Kelly) and No. 7 (Aaron Ashby) who could have the faster track to Milwaukee, with Small and Ashby in the conversation for a callup as soon as this season if everything goes right.

Ashby was particularly impressive in the Cactus League, getting his first six outs via strikeouts while showing off that 65-grade slider and his array of deliveries. Small is the more polished and experienced pitcher given his college experience in the SEC, but Ashby’s stuff probably gives him the edge if we’re talking about a late-season callup to the bullpen.

“If he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s going to be on a hyper track,” said fellow Brewers lefty Brent Suter. “He’s really fun to watch. I actually went to him to talk about his slider grip and he helped me out a lot. A slider is a pitch I was working on during the offseason and he helped me out a lot with that. He’s just got incredible stuff. Funky timing. He messes up timing with different pitches and moving all over the place. He throws hard. He’s got a real good set of pitches, has real good makeup and is a strong-willed kid. It’s been fun to watch him pitch and get to know him.”

So, yes, it’s possible in 2021. Craig Counsell said so right at the start of camp. But let’s not forget that these pitchers are early in their development and coming off a year without a Minor League season. It would not hurt them to pitch a season in Double-A or Triple-A.

I have a hard time seeing Lorenzo Cain ready for Opening Day with only 11 games max to play. What are the odds we see a Yeli, JBJ, Aví outfield against [Twins starter Kenta] Maeda?
-- @charlie_hobert on Twitter

I think you’re right to note the tight timeline, Charlie. After sitting out most of 2020 and approaching his 35th birthday in April, Cain faced a significant challenge with an entire spring to prepare. Now the quad issue has cost him a ton of at-bats, and it means he will have no room for error once he makes his scheduled Cactus League debut on Saturday night at the Reds.

Let’s say Cain plays Saturday, takes the next day off, plays Monday, then takes another day off, then starts to ramp up. That means he’ll only get a week or so of everyday playing time to get his legs under him in the field and his timing at the plate. That seems like an aggressive timetable, though Counsell said Cain has enough time to make the Opening Day roster under this plan. File it under, “we’ll see.”

Dan Vogelbach strikes me as a professional hitter. Hits to all fields and has a great approach. Do you really think they will cut him?
-- @nicholaskeszo on Twitter

We’ve been doing weekly roster predictions -- i.e. guesses -- and with no designated hitter available I’m having a hard time getting Vogelbach into a 13-pitcher, 13-hitter alignment. I’ve got the two catchers and the four outfielders, plus six infielders locked in (Keston Hiura at first, Kolten Wong at second, Travis Shaw and Daniel Robertson at third and Orlando Arcia and Luis Urías at shortstop). That’s already 12 position players, leaving one spot for a group of candidates that includes Vogelbach, utility-type Pablo Reyes and Jace Peterson (neither on the 40-man), outfielders Billy McKinney (out of options), Derek Fisher (out of options and nursing a hamstring injury) and Tyrone Taylor.

The Brewers have been super creative with their Opening Day roster construction in recent years, so who knows how it will go. It’s also obvious that they think we’re over-emphasizing the Opening Day roster itself, which has often changed literally the next day. So, I went with McKinney in my latest projection. I just didn’t see them acquiring McKinney and Fisher as former top prospects who are out of options and letting both go. Fisher’s injury is making me waver on that a bit.

Once again, file it under, “we’ll see.”

First non-injury Minor League call up, and when?
-- @exparrot5 on Twitter

I don’t know who it will be, but my money’s on a reliever, no doubt about it. Look at the number of relievers with options who are being stretched out to cover multiple innings. Drew Rasmussen, Justin Topa, J.P. Feyereisen, Phil Bickford all come to mind. With innings so important this year as the schedule reverts to 162 games, I think we’ll regularly see a reliever asked to cover two or three innings, then sent down in favor of a fresh arm. Add it to the long list of reasons the move back to Triple-A Nashville was helpful.

What is your favorite green candy?
-- @ktek7 on Twitter

Easily green Swedish Fish, though the official ranking goes orange, yellow, green, red. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Katie.

What are your top 30 candy rankings?
-- @SophiaMinnaert on Twitter

I thought assisting on the Top 30 prospects list was tough enough. This is way tougher, so let’s start with 10 and we can debate 11-30 during the next regular-season rain delay.

1. Candy raisins (the Wisconsin kind, not the chocolate ones, duh)
2. Swedish Fish
3. Jolly Rancher jelly beans
4. Haribo Pico-Balla
5. Starburst (lightly microwaved)
6. Jolly Joe’s
7. Jelly Belly jelly beans
8. AirHeads bites
9. Rock candy (don’t @ me)
10. Circus Peanuts (seriously, don’t @ me)