PORT ST. LUCIE — Brandon Sproat doesn’t get up on the mound trying to hit 99 MPH with his fastball. Whether it’s 95 or 100, the Mets’ top pitching prospect prioritizes command and attacking the zone more than velocity.
“If I throw 99, that’s cool,” Sproat said Friday at Clover Park. “I mean, it’s not something I’m worried about.”
Sproat doesn’t have to worry, he came out firing in his first Grapefruit League start, hitting 98 on his first pitch of the game.
The velocity is one reason why the Mets drafted the University of Florida product twice, once in the fifth round in 2022, and again in the second round in 2023. The 6-3, 215-pound right-hander has all the makings of a big league starter.
Sproat threw two scoreless innings in the Mets’ 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals, striking out one. They were two relatively easy innings, with three groundouts in the top of the first, all three of which came off of his sinker.
“The sinker — the two-seam — is a pitch he’s working on, and I thought it was really good,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He got ground balls with that. The changeup was advertised. I mean, pretty electric there for a couple of meetings. His first time pitching in big league camp, so it was a good first impression.”
The electricity came from the fastball. It doesn’t have a ton of ride and minor leaguers took advantage in Triple-A, but Sproat also throws that sinker pretty hard. The soft-spoken 24-year-old looked every bit like he belonged Friday. He had some nerves, but those are standard for him before every start. A packed crowd did little to intimidate him, with Sproat taking a moment to appreciate the opportunity before he threw his first pitch.
“A cool experience,” he said. “The game plan would just go up there and just just attack and let everything kind of take care of itself. It was a lot of fun. Great weather and great fans, good turnout.”
If all goes well, Sproat could join the Mets rotation at some point this season. While he struggled in Triple-A last year, he figured it out by the end of his time in Syracuse. It would be a huge win for a player development department that has struggled to develop starting pitchers over the last decade.
TAKING SHAPE
The Mets used a lineup with five of their best hitters consecutively against Washington. Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos went 1-5, with four of the five generating offense in the win.
Lindor, Alonso and Nimmo loaded the bases on left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara and catcher Luis Torrens plated two with a line drive to right field. With one on and two out in the third, Soto belted his second spring training home run in a third.
Nimmo was the only one of the group to not record a hit, going 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored. In his first spring training game of the season, the Mets played it cautious to avoid triggering the plantar fasciitis in his foot.
“I liked it,” Mendoza said. “There’s one good bat after another one, so it’s a deep lineup. And when you see it play out like that, it’s a good feeling. Again, it’s still early, but a good day overall.”
The lineups at this time of year are constructed in different ways to make sure some players get a certain amount of at-bats, and to see how certain hitters work in certain situations. Without any cuts having been made, the minor league hitters will get plenty of chances to play in Grapefruit League games as well. The Mets will continue to move bats up and down to see what works and what doesn’t ahead of Opening Day.
PITCHING DEPTH
The Mets signed veteran right-hander Jose Ureña to a minor league contract this week. The plan is to stretch him out as a starter, but Mendoza also noted that he can be used as a long reliever. Ureña could compete for a starting job out of camp, but right now, the Mets view him to be in a group of second-tier depth starters with right-hander Justin Hagenman and left-hander Brandon Waddell.
The 33-year-old went 6-8 with a 3.80 ERA and a 4.62 FIP and one save in 33 games (nine starts) for the Texas Rangers last season.