Minor League Mondays: Brandon Sproat Is On The Doorstep Of The Majors

Throughout the season, Minor League Mondays will take a look at the top prospects in the New York Mets' farm system and keep an eye on their progress as the year progresses. The first edition of the 2025 Minor League Mondays calendar will focus on the Mets' top prospect (according to MLB.com), starting pitcher Brandon Sproat.

Mets' pitching prospect Brandon Sproat is starting off his season with AAA Syracuse.

After a strong minor league season that saw him go from Brooklyn to Syracuse in 2024, Sproat was assigned back to AAA to start the 2025 campaign. The Mets want to see Sproat show some mastery of that level before getting big league consideration, which could happen at some point this season given the amount of injuries the big club is dealing with in the rotation.

After a rough debut on March 30th, which saw Sproat give up four runs and walk three in just two innings of work, he has stabilized over his next two starts. Sproat has worked 8.1 innings since that point, allowing just three hits and two earned runs while posting an 8:4 strikeout to walk ratio.

Mets fans are definitely going to want to keep an eye on Sproat, who looked good in some spring training outings for the team this season. Scouts are high on Sproat's five-pitch mix, which is headlined by a four-seam fastball that can touch triple digits, a good changeup that can be a weapon against lefties and the sweeper that has become a trademark for Mets' pitchers.

A big key for Sproat is showing an ability to keep his walks under control as he already has issued seven free passes in 10.1 innings this season. Limiting those walks will be an important step in Sproat's development as the Mets will want him to show he can be successful at the AAA level before giving him a shot in the big league rotation.

The Mets will use a sixth man throughout the season at strategic points so Sproat could definitely factor into that equation if he shows sufficent mastery of the International League. Injuries could also create opportunities for Sproat down the road, but his best path to the majors is by simply forcing his way there with excellent work for Syracuse. The plan for the sixth man in the rotation when it is first needed appears to be veteran Jose Urena, which makes sense since the Mets want Sproat to have more consistent success and go deeper into games for Syracuse. Paul Blackburn is also on the mend so he figures to get another look at that sixth starter spot once he is cleared to return from his own injury. Frankly, it would be a disappointment if Sproat doesn't make his major league debut at some point in the first half. While the Mets have gotten some strong early results from their rotation, Sproat has the potential to be a game-changer if he can get hot once he gets his big league opportunity.