Mets pitching prospect Brandon Sproat had a tremendous first full season in the organization.
The right-hander was one of the fastest risers Minor League baseball as he began the year with High-A Brooklyn and after a brief stop in Double-A he quickly rose all the way up to Triple-A before season’s end.
With his tremendous pitching prowess, Sproat was selected as the teams lone representative at the Futures Game and he climbed his way into the top five of SNY’s Top 30 prospect ranking and onto MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list.
And then on Friday, the youngster was also named the organization’s Pitcher of the Year.
“It’s been a ton of fun,” Sproat said at Citi Field. “It’s been a roller coaster but the different things I’ve learned at each level have been huge. I couldn’t be more pleased with myself and my performance, but most importantly, I’m grateful to come out healthy.”
Sproat got off to a spectacular start over the first two levels of the minors, pitching to a 1.07 ERA with the Cyclones and a 2.45 ERA with the Rumble Ponies while striking out a combined 110 batters in 17 appearances.
The youngster was viewed as a potential option to help the big-league bullpen down the stretch, but the idea was quickly put to bed as he struggled to get acclimated after being promoted to Triple-A.
Sproat allowed seven homers and failed to work past the fifth in all but one of his seven outings, but still he finished the year with a 3.40 ERA, and was grateful for the opportunity to pitch at the highest level of the minors.
“I’m very pleased with how this years gone,” he said. “I think the confidence I gained throughout the year from High-A all the way to Triple-A is huge, I’m just very very pleased with it.”
After working through spring training, Sproat figures to begin next season continuing his development down in Syracuse, but with a strong showing he just might find himself helping the big-league club before you know it.
If that does end up being the case, Sproat has no doubt that he’ll be able to help the Mets.
“When it’s my time, it’s my time to be up here,” he said. “But I’m confident in myself that I can come up here and make an impact at the big-league level, especially with all of the older guys that’ll be even more helpful.”
