Mets top prospect struggles in first Triple-A start of season

Mets No. 1 prospect Brandon Sproat could not get out of the third inning in his first Triple-A start of the 2025 season.

Mar 6, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Brandon Sproat (91) pitches against the Houston Astros at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

It was a tough day at the office for New York Mets top prospect Brandon Sproat in his first Triple-A start of the 2025 season.

On a brisk 41-degree day at Polar Park in Massachusetts, Sproat was unable to get out of the third inning against the Worcester Red Sox. He utilized his full six-pitch arsenal but struggled with command, landing only 32 of his 57 pitches for strikes. His velocity was also slightly down.

After surrendering an RBI single in the first inning, Sproat bounced back by striking out the side in the second. However, he opened the third inning by issuing consecutive walks and a single to Nick Sogard, loading the bases for MLB’s No. 12 prospect, Marcelo Mayer.

The battle of top prospects ended with a two-run single by Mayer, leading Syracuse to turn to reliever Kevin Herget, who inherited two baserunners with no outs in the third. Herget got Trayce Thompson to ground into a double play but allowed two more runs that inning, one of which was charged to Sproat.

Sproat, 23, was credited with four earned runs over two-plus innings in Sunday’s 12-0 loss. He allowed three runs and three walks on the afternoon.

Brandon Sproat made his 2025 debut in AAA today!

The Mets Top Prospect struggled with his command as he issued 3 BB on the day. He flashed his full arsenal, but the velocity was not nearly as high as it was last season pic.twitter.com/OiAUAkiTxW

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) March 30, 2025

Last season, the 6-foot-3 right-hander dominated at High-A Brooklyn (1.07 ERA in 25.1 innings) and Double-A Binghamton (2.45 ERA in 62.1 innings) in 2024 before finishing the year with Triple-A Syracuse. He struggled in his first taste of baseball’s second-highest competitive level, posting a 7.53 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across seven starts.

In that 28.2-inning sample, Sproat allowed the same number of home runs (7) that he gave up over his first 17 outings. His K/9 rate fell to 6.6 after averaging over 11 in each of the lower levels.

Earlier in the spring, Sproat attributed those struggles to nerves and getting away from his identity of attacking hitters without worrying about results. After he impressed during a live batting practice session in February, manager Carlos Mendoza stated that being forced to make adjustments and respond to adversity early could benefit Sproat’s development in the long run.

Sproat is not the only highly regarded Mets pitching prospect to struggle early after being promoted to Triple-A. Mets No. 16 prospect Blade Tidwell went 1-9 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 85 innings with Syracuse last year before impressing in his 2025 debut at the same level on Saturday.

Read More: Mets prospect shines in season debut; could call-up be coming?

Both young arms are potential candidates to make their MLB debuts at some point this season. However, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns recently indicated that they will not rush Sproat’s development, despite injuries to Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea.

"We want to see him have significant success at the Triple-A level. I think he wants to prove he can do that as well,” Stearns said when asked about Sproat earlier this month. “Once we see that, we can start talking about when is the right time at the major league level."

David Stearns on Brandon Sproat:

"We want to see him have significant success at the Triple-A level, I think he wants to prove he can do that as well. Once we see that, we can start talking about when is the right time at the major league level" pic.twitter.com/pQIo4sy5Dp

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 6, 2025

In the meantime, the Mets will roll with a five-man rotation consisting of Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, David Peterson, and Kodai Senga. Both Manaea (oblique) and Paul Blackburn (knee) could return sometime in April, giving them two more starting options.