On Tuesday, MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with fans at r/brewers to preview the start of Spring Training. This mailbag features questions and answers from there, lightly edited for clarity. The full AMA can be read here.
Who is your breakout/quantum leap candidate for this year? Who do you see taking the next step in stardom or someone unexpectedly being a major contributor this season? Personally, I’m very excited to see what Jackson [Chourio] and Quinn [Priester] can build off of from last year.
Pat Murphy has the trademark on "quantum leap," so I have to be careful here. I'll piggyback off your question and say Jackson Chourio, who is coming off two statistically similar seasons that were great for a 20-21-year-old who is still developing his plan for every time he goes to the plate. When that side of the game slows down for him, the mental side, he has all the tools to launch into the stratosphere -- if his hamstrings hold up.
Do you think Murph will get a contract extension before the season gets underway?
Yes. Both sides want to get a deal done and I predict they'll be successful in sparing him lame-duck status.
What do you think are Jett Williams’ and Brandon Sproat's chances of making the Opening Day roster?
I'll do my first Opening Day roster projection at the start of next week, and I don't think Williams or Sproat will be on it. But don't fret if you're a fan of either player. I've been doing that running roster projection for years, and have never, ever, gotten it right. Something always gets in the way, whether it be a late addition to the roster, a late injury, an out-of-options player sealing his fate in the final days, or just my ineptitude.
Are there any realistic additions left for the year’s team? Or is the front office content to enter camp with what we have?
Last year, the Brewers didn't sign Jose Quintana until March, and I'd be shocked if they don't bring in an experienced arm this year, too. My colleague, Thomas Harrigan, has been tracking the free agent pitchers still on the market, and it remains a robust list if you're a club looking for depth.
If Akil Baddoo is our big splash this offseason, it doesn’t really signal that ownership wants to build on the success of ‘25. Why should fans believe that the offseason was anything but a step in the wrong direction?
I remember writing way back at the start of the offseason about the tricky spot president of baseball operations Matt Arnold & Co. were in this winter. They'd just been wiped out by the Dodgers in the NLCS, but they also led the Majors with 97 wins in the regular season and had beaten the Cubs in the NLDS. They had almost everybody under contractual control for '26. Should they have blown up the roster as a response to the Dodgers thumping? I'm not so sure.
The risk, right now, is the starting pitching. Without Freddy Peralta, they have a lot of promising young arms to choose from but very little experience. I would suggest waiting to see if they add any pitchers of your liking over the next six weeks.
I’m curious if the team’s plan right now is to run back the same infield we had last year while monitoring the kids in the farm system coming up and hoping they don't get hurt.
The depth chart I do my best to maintain on MLB.com has the same infield from the second half of 2025 returning to start ‘26. The Brewers will hope for more of the July power from Andrew Vaughn. They'll work with Joey Ortiz to get some offense, because after all, he was a good hitter as a prospect. They'll bank on Caleb Durbin proving last season was no fluke.
That would allow the prospects to keep developing. Whether he's the Major League backup or playing every day at Triple-A, No. 5 Brewers prospect Jeferson Quero needs to log some healthy time somewhere after two years of injury. Cooper Pratt (No. 4) still needs Triple-A experience. And Jesús Made (No. 1/ No. 4 in Top 100) needs Double-A and Triple-A experience. There is a fine line between moving prospects aggressively and rushing them, and the Brewers have done a pretty good job staying on the right side of that.
We’ve created quite the farm system for ourselves. If you could pick one name in our system today that would turn out to be a superstar, who do you believe it could be and what makes you think that?
Luis Peña (MIL No. 2/MLB No. 18). Last year didn't finish the way he wanted, but the Brewers have a great thing going with Made and Peña pushing each other to each rung on the ladder, and the way some club officials talk in hushed tones about Peña is just different. The Brewers invited Made to big league camp and not Peña. Let's see how the latter responds.