Former Florida Gators star Pete Alonso is the Mets' all-time leader in home runs. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Two Former Gators Could Help Mets Clinch Postseason Birth

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI
By Terrance Biggs | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 7:00 AM ET

It looks like a pair of former Florida Gators could be the ones to drag the New York Mets into the National League postseason.

Granted, everyone already knows Pete Alonso, the power-hitting first baseman that the team places its faith in when they need a long ball.

Already sitting at 29 home runs and 103 runs batted in, Alonso continues to be one of the bright spots in what looks like a brutal post-All-Star Break for the Mets. The team sits seven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. New York holds a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final wildcard spot.

Alonso, alongside Juan Soto, provides the power in the Mets lineup. The 30-year-old enters free agency again this year, after signing a short-term deal with a voidable clause, which he will most certainly exercise.

Now, Brandon Sproat may be a name that you don't get to hear that often. However, the former Gator currently holds the fifth spot on MLB rankings of the Mets' top prospects this season. In Sproat's last 37.1 innings, he surrendered just 20 hits and struck out 43 at Triple-A Syracuse. To say the Mets need him now is an understatement.

They have a 10-game stretch coming up with no days off. On top of that, their rotation cannot go deeper than five innings, taxing their bullpen and straining what should be the best part of their staff.

Brandon Sproat is locked in

6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 8 K, including the first six outs of the game! He has a 2.05 ERA since June 28 pic.twitter.com/Lqa5hNAUit
— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) August 20, 2025

The chance remains high that if Sproat gets the call, barring injury, he will not return to the minors, as he profiles as a top-of-the-rotation starter with an excellent fastball that touches the high 90s and a changeup that generates more than its fair share of swings and misses.

Alonso and Sproat are two Gators at opposite ends of their careers. Alonso wants the team to sign him to a mega deal. Sproat accomplished everything he needed to in the minor and awaits the call from the front office.

In all honesty, the Mets are a ship that continues to take on heaping amounts of water in the way of painful losses. Alonso is always one swing away from changing the score at any time. Sproat could give the rotation the kick that it needs, sending the struggling veteran to the pen to pitch every couple of days for an inning or two.

Either way, in a season where the franchise looked like a shoo-in to win the division, two players can make things right given the opportunity.

This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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