Mets’ promising pitching prospect struggles in Triple-A debut

Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Brandon Sproat (28) warms-up in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals in the Spring Breakout game at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

As the stretch run continues, teams all around baseball look within their organizations for talent that could give them that extra boost as they pursue the game’s ultimate goal. The New York Mets are no different, but one of their more likely call-up candidates struggled in his Triple-A debut.

Brandon Sproat struggles in his Triple-A debut

After a historic performance in just his 11th start for Double-A Binghamton, where Brandon Sproat looked levels above the competition as the 23-year-old went five shutout innings against Double-A New Hampshire, striking out 13 batters, including the last 11 he faced while allowing just two hits and no walks, the Mets promoted Sproat to Triple-A Syracuse.

Sproat made his Triple-A debut on Thursday night, and it did not go according to plan. The Florida native pitched just 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits, six runs, and a trio of walks while striking out four.

Some positives out of the start

While the overall final line wasn’t the strongest, there are still some positives out of Sproat’s first appearance for Syracuse.

The 23-year-old continued to bring the heat, reaching triple digits on the radar gun on his third pitch while throwing 35 out of his 88 pitches over 95 mph, 15 of which were 97 mph or faster.

Sproat also got seven whiffs on 37 swings and 21 called strikes, giving him a 32 percent strike-whiff rate. In addition, despite giving up a home run on the slider, it still proved to be an incredibly effective pitch for the right-hander, generating five whiffs and five called strikes on 16 throws.

What does Sproat’s performance mean for the Mets?

Sproat’s Triple-A debut certainly wasn’t the herculean effort that many of the Flushing Faithful were expecting after his final Double-A start, but there still were some solid underlying numbers that show why so many prospect evaluators are so high on the Mets 2023 second-round pick.

However, the lack of dominance does reveal that the 23-year-old may need a little more time at the Triple-A level before being called up, which is perfectly fine, especially considering this is his first professional season. Still, it may be disappointing for those hoping he could contribute down the stretch.

Although it is baseball and stranger things have happened, for now, Sproat will look to acclimate himself at the Triple-A level and focus on cracking the 2025 rotation.

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