PORT ST. LUCIE — Brandon Sproat reported for his first big-league spring training with a brand new, big-league mustache this week. It’s a first for the Mets’ top pitching prospect, with the pitcher previously being unable to even grow facial hair.
So it was quite a sight to see when he took the Clover Park mound Thursday to throw to hitters for the first time this spring with his curly mullet peeking out from underneath his cap. The 6-3, 215-pound right-hander pitched two simulated innings to a mix of established hitters and minor leaguers.
It was a glimpse into the future, especially since Sproat plans to keep the mustache for a while.
“There’s a lot to like about him,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He’s got five pitches and he’s the ability to spin the baseball. There’s the short slider, the sweeper and the changeup is really, really good, and then he’s got velo. Everything I’ve heard about him, whether it’s the makeup, the compete, how much he cares, it’s exciting.”
The Mets liked Sproat so much they drafted him twice, selecting him in the third round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Florida, and then again in the second round in 2023. A Florida native who grew up on the panhandle, Sproat’s calling card is his velocity. He’s touched triple digits, but typically sits in the high 90s. His secondary pitches grade well, and he’s working on adding a sinker this season. He picked up the pitch in Triple-A last season, finding that when it breaks inside to right-handed hitters, his four-seam fastball, which also breaks in to righties, appears as though it has more ride.
Now he has to throw all of those pitches for strikes.
“They’re always a work in progress,” Sproat said. “The fastball is always a work in progress. There’s never one pitch that is set in stone, you’re always working on those things.”
Sproat battled with consistency in college, walking about 10% of the hitters he faced. However, he limited the walks last season as he flew through the Mets minor league system last year, going from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A, striking out 10.1 hitters per nine innings and walking only 3.2. He struck out 13 hitters in a game with Double-A Binghamton, including 11 straight. It earned him a promotion to Triple-A, which is where he hit a snag for the first time in his young professional career.
In seven starts with the Syracuse Mets, Sproat’s ERA ballooned to 7.85. Still, there is plenty to take from his time in Triple-A.
“You want those guys to struggle in the minor leagues,” Mendoza said. “You want those guys to face some type of adversity and see how they’re going to respond because that’s part of it being a big leaguer — the mental side.”
Sproat didn’t fault the ABS challenge system like many others in Triple-A have over the last few years, attributing his struggles to a learning curve and nerves.
“I kind of got away from who I am up there,” Sproat said. “That’s attacking no matter what, and not worrying about the results… The nerves kicked in on a bigger stage.”
There appeared to be no nerves Thursday as he threw to big league hitters like Jesse Winker and Tyrone Taylor. Jared Young, in camp on a minor league contract, hit a hard comebacker on the final pitch of his outing. It caught Sproat by surprise but he made a clean catch. There was also a changeup he threw to strike out Brett Baty.
“He’s an unbelievable competitor,” Mets right-hander Christian Scott said. Scott, another Florida product, spent two years with Sproat in Gainesville. “He just wants to go out there and get out any way necessary. For example, like in Florida, we would scrimmage every day pretty much in the fall. It’s cutthroat out there, get outs any way possible. So just being able to see this process from growing up, and to see his complete level, I’m super proud of him.”
Having Scott in camp has helped Sproat feel at ease. Sproat might pitch loud, but off the mound, he’s fairly reserved.
“A really quiet guy,” Scott said. “He’s big into his faith and loves Jesus. Big, big country guy too. He likes to wear boots around and loves his truck. He’s a Florida guy, through and through. But just a really good dude off the field.”
The Mets are pleased that Sproat is already in good enough shape to be throwing live batting practice a few days into camp. Fans will get a chance to see what he can do in Grapefruit League play soon.
Sproat is projected to start the season in Syracuse again. He’s been able to blow hitters away throughout his career, but that doesn’t work in the major leagues. The Mets want to see consistency this season, especially when it comes to his control.
“He’s going to have to make adjustments with his pitches because he’s got a lot of them,” Mendoza said. “It’s figuring out how to get people out, having the awareness of the situation and just little things like that at that level is important.”