Move over, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. The New York Mets’ pitching-rich farm system is bearing more fruit.
Right-hander Brandon Sproat is being called up from Triple-A Syracuse to pitch Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported.
Sproat, who turns 25 on Sept. 17, will be the third top prospect from the organization to make his Major League debut in recent weeks, following McLean and Tong.
Both pitchers have been a welcomed addition to the Mets’ underperforming rotation. McLean is 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. Tong won his first start, allowing four runs (but only one earned) over five innings in a 19-9 win over the Miami Marlins on Aug. 29.
Why is Brandon Sproat Considered a Top Prospect?
Sproat, a second-round pick out of Florida in 2023, burst onto the scene in his first season of professional baseball. Sproat was the Mets’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2024, going 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 116.1 innings across three different levels.
In 26 appearances (25 starts) at Triple-A this season, Sproat is 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 121 innings. He’s been especially effective over his last nine starts, turning in a 2.01 ERA and 0.83 WHIP.
Baseball America ranks Sproat as the Mets’ No. 5 prospect and the No. 99 overall prospect in baseball.
Sproat’s ability to mix up pitches and keep batters off balance has earned him recognition throughout the sport. He features a four-seam fastball that has topped out at triple digits and also utilizes a high-octane sinker along with an upper-80s changeup, sweeper, slider and curveball.
Said MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra: “Much will come down to whether Sproat can blow those four-seamers by Major League hitters in the same way he could against Triple-A bats. He lacks the funky mechanics and exceptional ride that Tong used to rocket to Queens. He also lacks the incredible spin rates that McLean has leaned on in his dominant early MLB run.
“The more ordinary movement of the fastball won’t make it pop in any models, but if it can hold the velo gains and set up his panoply of other pitches, that could be enough.”
Why Are the Mets Calling Up Brandon Sproat?
Most of the Mets’ veteran starters are either hurt or struggling, and general manager David Stearns bypassed rotation help at the July 31 trade deadline.
All-Star David Peterson had a 6.68 ERA in six August starts, Sean Manaea has a 5.60 ERA after missing the first three-plus months with an oblique strain, and Kodai Senga may soon be summoned to the minor leagues.
Their struggles have coincided with the spectacular debuts of McLean, the first Met to win his first four career starts, and Tong. But like Sproat, both newcomers have already surpassed their career high in innings.
At 75-65, the Mets lead the final NL wild card spot by four games over the San Francisco Giants.
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