On Wednesday, MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with Brew Crew fans at r/brewers. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.
What are your thoughts on the playoff rotation right now? I've heard arguments for at least three options for Game 1 between Woody, Freddy and Priester. Obviously, Miz enters the conversation but may be better suited out of the bullpen?
– Legitimate-Lock4071
I'll start with this question because it was the same debate we had in the press box last night. Obviously, the Brewers have to get there first, but their careful handling of Jacob Misiorowski shows you that they are very much planning ahead for postseason innings, so …
Presuming they have the chance to line things up like they want, I think it's Peralta and I don't think they will spend too much time debating that. Are his high pitch counts maddening at times? Does he sometimes walk too many? Has he scuffled in his last two postseason starts? Yes across the board. But he also has taken the ball every time they have asked him for the last three years, which has been especially critical, and even in his roughest outing he almost always keeps the game close. That matters, as does everything he has done to keep the clubhouse so connected across languages and backgrounds. You don't set a postseason rotation based on those qualities, but they also don't hurt.
The Brewers had lost back-to-back Peralta starts before beating the Braves on Tuesday night, after winning the previous seven. Peralta's 108 pitches for five innings were not ideal, but he said he and pitching coach Chris Hook have been working on something that they really liked. That's why there was a big hug when Peralta got back to the dugout after the fifth. Let's see what happens in his next couple of starts; this decision could become clearer in the coming weeks if Peralta is right that he found something.
What is the opinion of the Brewers among your colleagues around the league? Have they noticed the team yet?
– Pack87Man
You can't help but notice them, the way publicity magnate Mike Vassallo has them all over MLB Network and other outlets these days. Every time we show up in a new press box, the answer is exactly the same: "How are those guys doing this?"
I took a swing at answering that question on Tuesday night because it was the perfect game to tell the story of the 2025 Brewers so far. You can read that story here.
Two questions: Of the rookies and callups from Triple-A this year, which player has surprised you the most? And would you take a bite of Murph’s pocket pancake if he offered you some?
– Repulsive_Jacket1380
I'll say Logan Henderson. Not because I'm surprised he's capable of success at the big league level, but because he's had such success at the big league level even though he's yo-yoing between the Majors and Triple-A. That is not easy to do at all, not only because of the jumbled schedule and way it impacts a pitcher’s preparation, but because of what I've seen that do to other players' confidence as they ride back and forth on the Minor League shuttle. It's incredibly difficult to just pop in one day and then get outs in a big league game the next -- but Henderson had some help last time. There were no flights between Scranton, Pa. and Washington D.C. for his start against the Nationals on Sunday, so his parents drove him the four hours, with a stop at Chipotle for lunch on the way.
As for Murph, I'll borrow from Christian Yelich in this story of Murph tales I wrote last November that led with pocket pancakes, waffles and egg rolls (!!!): "If he ever offers you food, you say no."
Hey Adam – I was listening to the Reds’ radio broadcast the other night and when they reviewed the Swanson missed bag play, the radio guy’s name dropped the person responsible for telling Tito whether or not to challenge. They weren’t referring to the guy on the phone in the dugout, they were referring to the person on staff who was “in the cave” watching the replay and relaying “yes” or “no” to the dugout. Do you know the name of the person who does that for the Crew? And what the process is like? When Counsell was around, it seemed they had a 1-5 type of system.
– johneburrito
That person is August Sandri, who has the title of "Manager - Major League Technology," which in a simpler era might have been called, "the video guy." He relays his decision to coach Evan Martin, the team's Major League game preparation specialist, who passes it to Murph.
As for the process, I would have to ask about that. It's a good idea because they are 13-7 in challenges this season, including a big win in Monday's series opener here in Atlanta when Andrew Vaughn was safe at first ahead of Isaac Collins' winning home run.
Why is Chris Hook the G.O.A.T.?
– Particular_Cause1669
Besides being smart and good at his job, like a lot of pitching coaches can claim, Chris Hook had the benefit of history when he was promoted to the MLB staff in 2019. He had a long history with the core of Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and so many more from his time in the organization as a Minor League pitching coach and rover, and that was huge in hitting the ground running. Very quickly, Hook earned a reputation as a coach worth listening to, and you've seen the results with so many other pitchers over the years.
How do you think they will handle Hoskins and Vaughn if Vaughn keeps hitting the way he has been?
– Strange-Ticket5680
There's no way to take Vaughn out of the lineup if he keeps hitting like this -- or, to be more precise, keeps making great swing decisions like this -- so the designated hitter would have to be in play for Hoskins. That would mean Christian Yelich in left a lot more, which is certainly possible given the way his back has held up so far this season.
One note on Vaughn: When the Brewers acquired him in June, a lot of us reported that he had one year of contractual control beyond 2025. He actually has two years of control after this year, so I'll do my best to point out that correction a couple more times over the remainder of this season.
What is your favorite Uecker story/moment?
– Repulsive_Jacket1380
I think I told this on the podcast, there was a game in the early 2000s before we had such easy access to replays. There was some kind of umpire ruling or close play that I wanted a second opinion on, so I went to the radio booth between innings to ask the great Jim Powell. It was one of Powell's innings in the middle of the game, so Uecker was just hanging out signing 8x10 photographs of himself -- that colorful photo of him in a sweater leaning up against a gigantic Louisville Slugger bat. He looked up and asked if I wanted one, and I said, "Sure, but I'm sorry, I don't have any 8x10s for you." It was dumb but it made him laugh, and there was nothing better in the entire world than making Bob Uecker laugh.
Anyway, I have that framed and hanging in my office. It says something like, "Thank you for your friendship," which is about the coolest thing in the world. We still talk about him at the ballpark most every day, and we miss him like hell during this Brewers run.