News Every Day | 23 April 2024, 20:00

Mets Minors 2024 Prospects: No. 15 Brandon Sproat

No. 15: Brandon Sproat, RHP

B/T: R/R Age: 9/17/2000 (23)
Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 215 lb.
Acquired: Drafted In The Second Round, 2023 MLB Draft
ETA: 2025 Previous Rank: N/R
Stats (Brooklyn Cyclones—2024) – 0.00 ERA 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 5 BB, 5 K

Brandon Sproat has had an interesting start to his Mets career before he even threw an inning. Sproat was drafted in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Mets with the 90th pick. The two sides failed to come to an agreement and Sproat returned to the University of Florida for his senior season and to try and improve his draft stock.

However, the 2023 season for Sproat was much of the same statistically, if not worse. His ERA jumped over a run, he gave up 10 more home runs, seven more wild pitches and hit eight more batters with pitches. On the good side, Sproat pitched a career high 106 1/3 innings and struck out 134 batters.

The Mets, however, didn’t mind and drafted him in the second round in 2023 (with his approval, which is needed when two sides don’t come to an agreement in a previous draft).

Brandon Sproat, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Sproat’s profile is one of a big power pitcher who needs refinement. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has a full four-pitch mix. He has a high-90s fastball that can touch 101 mph, using a quick arm action to generate the velocity without looking like he is using maximum effort. Despite its high velocity, its shape isn’t ideal and it will become something he will have to work on with the Mets’ pitching development to get more induced vertical break (IVB).

In addition to the fastball, Sproat throws a slider, changeup and a curveball, with the slider being his best secondary pitch with an above-average spin rate. Colby Morris, in his deep draft dive of Sproat, said:

His slider is a tighter gyro or slutter shape, meaning it lacks the sweeper’s right to left movement and is mostly spinning like a bullet or a football. This type of slider platoons well to both righties and lefties and is his primary offspeed pitch, getting into the low 90’s.

His changeup is his third-best pitch and offers a significant amount of velocity separation but does not always get the desired strikeout results. Lastly, his curveball isn’t more than his fourth pitch because sometimes it straddles the line between a curveball and a slurve, so without some major pitch design changes, the pitch may become an afterthought.

After Sproat was drafted, he did not pitch for any Mets affiliates and instead started his 2024 season with an aggressive promotion to High-A to play with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Based on his college experience and draft pedigree, it should be a solid barometer of where he is in terms of development. Due to the fact he played all four years of college, by the end of season Sproat will be 24 years old.

The primary focus for the 2024 season for Sproat should be to remain healthy and increase his innings workload—then work on his control and command to allow him to harness his strong pitches. Getting his fastball a better shape and keeping his release point consistent will be a secondary goal. Even if his changeup weren’t to reach the next level where he can consistently use it to keep lefties at bay, his slider should allow him to avoid severe platoon splits that usually accompany pitchers without weapons for opposite-handed hitters.

2024 Role

Sproat debuted in High-A with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Based on his college experience, and health, he should be able to reach Double-A. Sproat on his best day can look like a No. 2 or 3 starter with big velocity and a nice slider, but if all else fails, he could be a high-velocity arm out of the bullpen, something the Mets have not been good at developing since the days of Jeurys Familia.