Promising pitcher Brandon Sproat is quickly proving his talent within the system, but the Mets need to see more from the right-hander before he’s cleared for a promotion to the majors in September.
Before Friday night’s Mets-Marlins game, president of baseball operations David Stearns praised Sproat, who was recently ranked No. 40 in MLB.com’s latest Top 100 rankings, but warned against high expectations.
“I think he’s had the best season he could in the minor leagues,” Stearns said. “I think he’s thrown more strikes, he’s got a better arsenal of pitches, he’s got a better changeup. He’s competed at a very high level, very consistently and he’s bounced back from some tough outings.”
“I’ve been really happy with his development this year. He just needs the experience. He’s very new to professional baseball but he’s developed very quickly in our system and he’s proven that and he deserves it. But I also think we need to make sure he dominates at his current level before we start talking seriously about what to do next.”
Sproat, 23, was drafted by the Mets in 2023 out of the University of Florida and rose from High-A Brooklyn to Triple-A Syracuse in a matter of months.
The right-hander started 17 games at High-A and Double-A level, posting a 6-2 record with a 2.05 ERA, 110 strikeouts and 31 walks.
But Sproat’s just two starts for Syracuse were disappointing.
Sproat allowed six runs in his first start and one run over three innings in his second start, but was ejected for disputing a call with the home plate umpire.
A promotion in two weeks is not entirely out of the question, but the Mets need to see more of Sproat at the Triple-A level before he heads to Queens.
Whatever that path may be, Sproat said he’s open to any role, even if it means being used in the bullpen rather than being part of the starting rotation to help address the Mets’ weaknesses.
“If I get a chance to go to the big leagues as soon as possible, whether it’s as a starter or a reliever, I’m definitely not going to complain,” Sproat said at the All-Star Futures Game in Texas in July. “I’ll find a way.”
