Mets Prospect’s Special Season Earns Him MLB Futures Role

Brandon Sproat could be the latest Florida Gators pitcher to make his way to Queens and pitch for the New York Mets.

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. / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — The grind is worth it, to hear New York Mets prospect Brandon Sproat tell it.

The right-hander from Pensacola, Fla., didn’t pitch professionally last year after he was selected by the Mets out of Florida. So he didn’t get his first taste of professional baseball until April.

Learning the ins-and-outs of playing six games per week, the travel that comes with pro baseball and getting used to a schedule that is all about baseball and doesn’t include class has required adjustment, according to the 23-year-old.

But it also led to him being selected to participate as part of the NL Team in the MLB Futures Game on Saturday at Globe Life Field.

“It’s been worth it,” Sproat said. “I’ve had so much fun (this season). Learning new things, learning how my pitches can work, refining mechanics. It’s how things go in pro ball.”

Sproat, a right-hander, is the Mets’ No. 6 prospect and the No. 97 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He entered the game in relief in the third inning, as he worked around an infield error to induce a pop-out and then a 6-4-3 double play that ended the inning.

The NL went on to win the game, 6-1.

This could be a preview of what’s to come. He told news outlets during the Futures Game that he’s open to being a reliever, if that’s what gets him to the Mets faster.

The Mets made him their second-round pick last year out of Florida. A teammate of current Mets starter Christian Scott and Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford, Sproat did not pitch after he and the Gators reached the College World Series finals and lost to LSU.

New York put him at their High-A affiliate in Brooklyn and he earned a promotion to Double-A Binghamton on May 13. He’s been excellent at both stops, with a combined 6-1 record in 14 games (13 starts), with 1.71 ERA. He has struck out 52 and walked 12, and batters are hitting only .168 against him.

“(The promotion) caught me by surprise,” Sproat said. “I was definitely a little nervous to meet new guys because I really didn’t know anyone there. Now I have good relationships with a lot of those guys.”

Sproat is probably at least a year away from helping the Mets at the Major League level, but he’s heartened by the progress of Scott, who was his teammate early in his Florida career. Scott’s call-up earlier this year gave Sproat a sense of pride in his teammate and hope for a call-up of his own one day.

“It’s crazy to think that I was playing college ball with him two and a half years ago,” Sproat said. “I’ve been super happy for him and it drives me to see the work he put in and watch it pay off.”