Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy talks prospects, more in Reddit AMA

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.

Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Are you a fan of quirks at stadiums (Green Monster, short porch at Yankee Stadium, triples alley in SF), or should there be SOME consistency in field dimensions? As a fan, sometimes it's frustrating watching wind-aided pop-ups end up 3 rows into the bleachers. -- mehparrot5
I'm a huge fan of stadium quirks and think it's one of the best things about baseball in an era when uniqueness seems rarer and rarer. Pat Murphy mentioned here in San Francisco on Monday night that the Giants are built for this ballpark, meaning they are stocked with veteran hitters who can put the ball in play out there in that cavernous outfield. In my opinion, it's a good thing that front offices try to build clubs suitable to their particular ballpark. (P.S. my current Top 6 is Dodger Stadium, Kauffman Stadium, Fenway Park, Oracle Park, Petco Park, PNC Park. But that might change tomorrow.)

Adam, what¡¯s the latest on Jeferson Quero? Last I heard he had a hamstring injury but I haven¡¯t seen any updates on his recovery. Additionally, do you know how he¡¯s been throwing since recovering from the labrum surgery? Is the injury expected to have any impact on his ability to stick at the catcher position? Thanks! -- tonyplush11
We just learned yesterday that Quero has resumed baseball activities after his comeback from shoulder surgery was interrupted by a strained hamstring. Pat Murphy mentioned yesterday that Quero won't need surgery, which was a little newsworthy in that we didn't know that was even on the table. But it's very good news that Quero is getting back into action.

The throwing was still a work in progress before the hamstring popped up. Quero was a 70-grade thrower before the unfortunate injury -- suffered diving back to first base on Opening Day at Triple-A last year. Maybe he won't be 70-grade when he gets all the way back, but what if it's 60? Or 50? That could still be an outstanding everyday catcher, and the Brewers remain exceptionally high on the 22-year-old. His biggest backer might be Murphy, who considers Quero one of the very best prospects he's ever come across in baseball.

Who is the funniest brewer you have covered? Someone who just made you laugh all the time. Non-Uecker. -- brewcitybocce
Pat Murphy will be angry for passing him over, since he's self-described 70-grade funny. Nyjer Morgan comes to mind as well. So does Mart¨ªn Maldonado, who was sneaky-funny. Every day before batting practice, he would ask the writers what we were working on. And every day, he would tell us what garbage ideas we had.

But Wade Miley stands out to me as the all-timer. Stories about his ranch in Louisiana, his early-career diet and work ethic, stories about former teammates. He often had a rapt audience around his locker. And as a bonus, Jeb Miley is hands-down the funniest Brewers kid ever to tag along to work with dad.

Is Rock being phased out because of business reasons or is he stepping back on his own? -- Strange-Ticket5680
Bill Schroeder isn't being phased out. You've seen that as he approached and surpassed the 30-season mark in the Brewers booth, he's taken on a lighter workload and passed on opportunities to Tim Dillard and Vinny Rottino, especially when the Brewers are on the road. I've heard the target this year is 55-60 games for Rock, and that he will be back in the booth for the home games in May, starting with the Cubs series when the Brewers return from this long road trip.

What's the word on Robert Gasser? Any timeline changes yet? -- Pack87Man
Gasser stopped by Chase Field when the Brewers played the D-backs on the last road trip, and was scheduled to resume throwing off the mound that following week. So, the current information that we have is that he's back on the mound following Tommy John surgery and remains on track to be an option for the Brewers' big-league club late in the season, maybe in the second half of August or in September. How -- and if -- he fits into the mix could depend on where the club stands in the standings at that time.

What's going on with Bryan Hudson? He was lights out beginning of last year and just hasn't had it since then. Do you think not having him on the playoff roster after being so good (felt like a lot of fans thought they did him dirty) had zapped his confidence? -- Strange-Ticket5680
I'm no pitching coach, but anyone can pull up his Baseball Savant page and see that 21.4 percent walk rate going off like a siren. The trademark extension is still there. The soft contact is still (mostly) there. But he's putting way too many runners on base, and it is hurting him. If I had the solution to that I would have a great job as a third pithing guru alongside Chris Hook and Jim Henderson, but I'll repeat what Pat Murphy has said: Confidence must be a part of this.

Now, what's the source of that? I can't pretend to know the answer. Last year, after Hudson carried a heavy workload early in the year because he was so dang good, it was a drop in velo and some other measurables that led the Brewers to send him down to the Minors. Yes, he was disappointed to be left off the postseason roster. Any player would be. But that doesn't necessarily explain what's going on to start this season. Hudson still does have an option, so the Brewers have to figure out whether this can be squared away in the big leagues, or another Minor League stint is the better solution.