Brandon Sproat impresses in latest Triple-A start

While Sproat still carries a 5.43 ERA across 16 starts this season with Syracuse, the former Florida Gator has shown clear improvement this month. He's also rebounding from a tough May in which he posted a 6.56 ERA and 1.50 WHIP; his ERA in June is 4.15, although Sproat's marginally lower 1.48 WHIP shows that there's still room for improvement.

Saturday's outing reaffirmed how much big league potential the 24-year-old has. Sproat threw 51 of his 78 pitches for strikes, generated 15 swings and misses, and topped out at over 100 mph with his fastball.

While there is still no clear timeline for Sproat's MLB debut or how he'll be used, yesterday was a very encouraging step in the right direction. Sproat and fellow right-hander Nolan McLean, the Mets' No. 5 prospect, who holds an impressive 2.25 ERA across 14 minor league starts, appear to be the most MLB-ready arms New York has at their disposal.

As mentioned before, the Mets' rotation has been turned upside down after the first two and a half months of the season, when it was one of the league's most reliable and consistent staffs. Many question marks have arisen due to devastating injuries and growing inconsistencies.

With more questions than answers and no guarantee of a trade for a starter before the July 31 trade deadline, the Mets may soon have to rely on their farm system to fill a rotation spot, with Sproat and McLean as top candidates.

So far in 2025, the Mets have not hesitated to make frequent pitching moves, and the pitcher turnover has resembled a game of roulette. But unlike many of the short-lived call-ups New York has seen this year, the hope will be that McLean and Sproat are here to stay if and when they get called up.