The door has been cracked open for New York Mets top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat to make the jump to the big leagues earlier than expected — and outings like the one he had on Friday will only help his case.
The 24-year-old pitched two superb innings against the Washington Nationals in his first-ever big-league camp start, showing MLB-caliber stuff in the process. His fastball touched 99 mph, which was the pitch he used to strike out Robert Hassell III to end his outing.
“It’s obviously a cool experience,” Sproat said. “There’s a lot of work that goes into it behind the scenes, whether it’s bullpens, playing catch, or working out. Going out there and putting together two clean innings, it’s nice seeing the hard work we put in pay off.”
He got through the first inning on just nine pitches and the second in 10, showing supreme authority over six different pitches: A top-of-the-90s fastball, a mid-90s sinker, a devastating low-90s changeup, an upper-80s slider, a mid-80s sweeper, and an upper-70s, low-80s curveball.
The sinker was a priority of his this offseason, which looked plenty refined as he coaxed three ground-ball outs with it.
“First time pitching in big-league camp, he was really good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Velo out of the gate. The sinker is a pitch he’s working on and I thought it was good. He got groundballs with it. The changeup was as advertised. Some pretty electric stuff.”
Sproat has catapulted up the Mets’ minor-league system in a blink, passing through three levels of the farm last year to end up in Triple-A. While he has been projected as a potential mid-season call-up later this year, impressing management in spring training could put him on the fast track to the big leagues when camp breaks later this month considering the current state of New York’s rotation.
Frankie Montas will be out until at least late May or early June after he was shut down with a lat issue. Sean Manaea, one of last year’s heroes who re-signed with the Mets on a three-year, $75 million deal this winter, is likely to start the season on the injured list after injuring his oblique.
Christian Scott, one of the organization’s top prospects in recent years, is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
It has already stretched the rotation’s depth, leaving Mendoza to work with the likes of Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn to slot within a six-man rotation that will feature Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes.
The Mets also added veteran righty Jose Urena on Thursday, where he is expected to work in more of a swingman role (bullpen with occasional spot starts if needed).
