Mets' Electric Pitching Prospect Named to All-Star Futures Game

The Mets' Top 100 prospect will play in Arlington on July 13.

Jun 24, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Florida Gators pitcher Brandon Sproat (8) throws against the LSU Tigers in the second inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

One of the New York Mets' future stars is going to Arlington.

Right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat, the Mets' No. 6 prospect and one of the Top 100 prospects in the majors (ranked 98th), will be his team's sole representative at the 2024 All-Star Futures Game. The 23-year-old was selected by New York in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft; he was the 56th overall selection.

Pitcher Brandon Sproat will be the Mets' representative at the Futures Game this year, scheduled for July 13 in Texas.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 2, 2024

A flamethrower with amazing strikeout prowess, Sproat features a four-seam fastball that regularly reaches the high-90s, a changeup that serves as his primary strikeout pitch, a slider with high velocity (mid-80s), and a get-me-over curveball.

Sproat began his minor league career this season and quickly left a great first impression with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. In six games (five starts), he allowed just four runs (three earned) and 12 hits for a microscopic 1.07 ERA. Sproat also struck out 33 batters (11.72 K/9) while issuing 16 walks, and opponents could only hit .141 against him.

The righty's dominance led to a well-deserved promotion to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies on May 13; however, Sproat has been even better since the promotion and has skyrocketed up both the Mets and MLB's prospect lists.

In seven games, all starts, the former Florida Gator has maintained a 1.94 ERA, allowing a mere nine runs and 27 hits in 41.2 innings. Even more encouraging is his rapidly developing pitch control to compliment his strikeout stuff; although command was initially considered to be one of Sproat's drawbacks when the Mets initially drafted him, he has shown tremendous improvement in that area. With 43 punchouts against just 10 free passes, his walk-to-strikeout ratio jumped from 2.06 in High-A to 4.30 in Double-A, his BB/9 decreased from 5.68 to 2.16, and his WHIP went from an already excellent 1.11 mark to a brilliant 0.89 between levels. The noticeable decrease in walks has also come in a bigger sample size, as Sproat already has more innings pitched with Binghamton than he had with Brooklyn, providing yet another reason for optimism.

Mets have six of @MLBPipeline’s updated top 100 prospects in baseball:

31. Jett Williams
39. Christian Scott
40. Drew Gilbert
72. Ryan Clifford
93. Luisangel Acuña
98. Brandon Sproat https://t.co/DIyc6pzwhQ

— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) July 2, 2024

It is worth mentioning that while Sproat is the Mets' only player for the All-Star Futures Game, New York has five other prospects ranked ahead of him in MLB's Top 100; those are shortstop/outfielder Jett Williams (No. 31), starting pitcher Christian Scott (No. 39), outfielder Drew Gilbert (No. 40), outfielder/first baseman Ryan Clifford (No. 72), and middle infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuña (No. 93). However, Williams and Gilbert are dealing with injuries, and Scott has already made his MLB debut (and was just called back up to the majors).

With the tremendous development he's shown this year, Sproat will try to demonstrate his incredible potential to the entire league, while also representing the Mets' rapidly blossoming farm system that has become one of the best in baseball.

The 2024 All-Star Futures Game will be played on July 13 (three days before the All-Star Game) at 4 PM Eastern time, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.