Brandon Sproat

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Mets #11 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: A Rangers seventh-round pick out of Pace (Fla.) High in 2019, Sproat made it to campus at Florida, where he worked primarily as a reliever for two seasons before joining the rotation in 2022. He held high-90s velocity and reduced his walk rate as a starter, prompting the Mets to draft him in the third round in 2022. Sproat didn’t sign and returned to the Gators for his senior year. He finished seventh in the nation with 134 strikeouts in 2023 for the College World Series runners-up. He was again drafted by the Mets, this time in the second round, and signed for slot value of $1,474,500. He did not pitch after the draft.
  
  Scouting Report: Sproat is a 6-foot-3 righthander with requisite velocity, repertoire and athleticism to start. The question will be control after he walked nearly 10% of collegiate batters as a junior and senior. Sproat was one of the hardest-throwing starters in Division I in 2023. He sits in the mid 90s and has touched as high as 101 mph with a two-seam fastball with armside run. As they did with fellow Florida product Christian Scott, the Mets will probably emphasize a four-seam grip in pro pitching development. Sproat has solid feel for a plus, high-80s changeup with fading life to his arm side. His breaking stuff is less refined, but he has flashed a plus, mid-80s slider with two-plane break and a fringy curveball that won’t be a big part of his repertoire. Sproat’s long arm stroke may inhibit his strike-throwing and lead to fringe control.
  
  The Future: If the Mets can improve Sproat’s fastball shape and slider consistency, he has major league rotation value. If not, he has a high-leverage relief profile. He should ease into pro ball at High-A Brooklyn and finish in Double-A in 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #48 prospect in 2023 draft
  School: Florida Source: 4YR
  
  Commit/Drafted: Mets ’22 (3)
  Age At Draft: 22.8
  BA Grade:50/High
  Tools:Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 60. Control: 45.
  
  Sproat was a high-profile arm dating back to his prep days, and always showed outstanding pure stuff, but struggled with consistency prior to a breakout 2022 season with Florida. He moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation, tightened his control and posted a 3.41 ERA over 89.2 innings with a 21.5% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate. The Mets drafted Sproat in the third round, but he was one of just three players drafted among the top 10 rounds to not sign, and went back to Florida where he posted a 4.66 ERA over 19 starts and 106.1 innings, with a 28.8% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. Sproat has a solid pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and moves well on the mound with a long arm stroke and low, three-quarter slot. He throws hard and averaged 96 mph with his fastball this spring, touching 100-101 mph at best, though the pitch has below-average life and has always played down from that velocity. His go-to secondary in 2023 was a firm, upper-80s changeup with huge arm-side fading life that looked like a plus pitch, and he’s also earned plus grades on his mid-80s slider in the past. In addition to the two-plane breaking slider, Sproat has a slower curveball that is more of a fringe-average pitch. While Sproat will turn 23 shortly after the draft, he’s had a strong year, still flashes loud stuff and should be selected in the first three rounds once again.
• Ranked #75 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Florida Committed/Drafted: Rangers ’19 (7)
  Age At Draft: 21.8
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Cutter: | Control: 40
  Sproat ranked as the No. 233 prospect on the 2019 BA 500 out of high school, when he showed a fast arm, a fastball up to 94 mph and flashed multiple strong breaking balls. He made it to campus at Florida, where he pitched out of the bullpen for two seasons, continuing to flash loud top-end stuff, but also struggled with control and results. This spring, Sproat has taken a step forward with his consistency while stepping into a full-time starting role for the Gators. He posted a 3.41 ERA over 89.2 innings and 16 starts, while striking out 82 batters and walking 33—good for the best walk rate of his career. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound righthander, Sproat has big-time fastball velocity and sits around 95, while touching 100 mph at peak and holding 97 deep into his starts. The pitch plays down from that velocity with middling life, however, and he has been hit around at times while throwing in the upper 90s. He will flash plus grades with both a mid-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup, and both of those pitches have been his best bat-missing offerings this spring. Sproat also has a curveball around 80 mph with more top-down movement, but the slider is his go-to breaking ball. Consistency has been Sproat’s main hurdle throughout his amateur career, both in terms of command and quality of his secondaries, but he has taken big strides in both departments this spring.
• Ranked #233 prospect in 2019 draft
  A projectable, 6-foot-2, 165-pound righthander out of Florida, Sproat has a fast arm and solid delivery. His low-90s fastball has reached 94 mph this spring, and he pairs the pitch with a hard, sweeping slider in the low to mid-80s. He also shows solid shape with his curveball. Evaluators question Sproat's ability to throw strikes consistently, and he'll need to sharpen both of his secondaries for them to become average offerings in the future. His operation works well, and he should continue to fill out his frame as he matures. Sproat is committed to Florida.

• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  A projectable, 6-foot-2, 165-pound righthander out of Florida, Sproat has a fast arm and solid delivery. His low-90s fastball has reached 94 mph this spring, and he pairs the pitch with a hard, sweeping slider in the low to mid-80s. He also shows solid shape with his curveball. Evaluators question Sproat's ability to throw strikes consistently, and he'll need to sharpen both of his secondaries for them to become average offerings in the future. His operation works well, and he should continue to fill out his frame as he matures. Sproat is committed to Florida.