Latest news with #Sproat
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
3 Mets prospects who must be untouchable in trade talks
The post 3 Mets prospects who must be untouchable in trade talks appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Mets are competing for the National League East and are looking to make it to the World Series this season. While they are playing well, some injuries are taking their toll, and their lineup is still struggling. Because of this, New York might make a move, and the Mets' trade market might open up. If the team does make a trade, they absolutely cannot unload three Mets prospects who will be very valuable for a long time. Advertisement The Mets just lost a starting pitcher for the season, which will significantly hinder them. It gets even worse. Recently, the Mets endured a sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Much of this has to do with a struggling lineup, as they combined for just four runs over three games. While the Mets finally ended their losing streak by beating the Milwaukee Brewers, there are significant concerns. This has opened up the floodgates for trade rumors regarding numerous Mets' prospects. While the Mets' trade market is open, the club has to be careful. They have a lot of excellent prospects, and some of these guys will help New York stay a contender for years to come. Brandon Sproat is one of the Mets' prospects with potential Brandon Sproat is one of the top prospects in the system. The early profiles on him were that he was a solid No. 2 starting pitcher and someone who could reach the majors in 2025. Unfortunately, things have not worked out that way this season. Advertisement Sproat is just 4-5 with a 5.43 ERA in 16 starts for Triple-A Syracuse. This is after going 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA across three levels over 23 starts and 24 games overall last season. Alarmingly, his stats have ballooned, and he has not figured it out yet. But Sproat just had his best start, hurling six shutout innings while allowing two hits in a win over Triple-A Rochester. Sproat thrives on his elite velocity, which has reached up to 101 MPH, as well as a plus changeup and slider. Conversely, his fastball shape and spin have been hittable. His changeup has been less effective this season because the velocity has climbed. His curveball needs improvement, and some observers have noted that it may be holding him back. Regardless, Sproat has the tools to become a good starting pitcher for the Mets, and they cannot trade him until they see what he can do. The Mets can't trade Jett Williams Of all the Mets trade prospects, Jett Williams could become very valuable. At just 21 years old, he has all the athleticism to succeed whether it's being a shortstop or an outfielder. Teams crave that flexibility, and that is why he is one of the best Mets' prospects around. However, New York must resist the urge to trade him. Advertisement Williams has been doing well this season, batting .280 with a .394 on-base percentage, and six home runs, 25 RBIs, 46 runs, and 24 stolen bases. Amazingly, he has been all over the basepaths and all over the field, making opponents pay for their mistakes and creating havoc all over the diamond. With Francisco Lindor still holding the reins at shortstop, the Mets can afford to let Williams marinate a little. Williams can take the next step and move on to Triple-A in his development. After he completes that tour, he will be ready to move on to the big leagues. With Juan Soto holding down the fort in right field, there might be an opening in center for the emerging Williams. Nolan McLean could become elite Nolan McLean was initially supposed to be a power reliever. Yet, there is a good chance he might emerge as a starting pitcher. If the Mets continue to deal with injuries to the rotation, they might have McLean available. Advertisement McLean is going solid work at Triple-A Syracuse, going 5-5 with a 2.55 ERA over 14 games and 12 starts. Ultimately, he is getting his shot in the rotation, and it's working. Because of his success, he could be turning him into one of the better Mets' trade prospects. New York must not send him away. McClean has six pitches, including the four-seam fastball, the sweeping slider, and a cutter that makes hitters think twice. Notably, the sweeper is his strongest pitch, and it's one of the reasons he has been dominating. His powerful fastball has been successful, and his low three-quarter arm slot makes him very deceptive. The only weaknesses in McLean's arsenal are his command inconsistencies and potential starter stamina. The Mets would be wise to foster McLean's development and help him become the elite pitcher he is trending toward. Furthermore, Sproat and Williams could also become centerpieces for the Mets over the next few seasons. Related: Mets place 2 pitchers on IL before Brewers clash Related: Mets' Francisco Lindor drops truth bomb on successful lineup change
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Twelve Mets prospects to watch early in the minor-league season
While Triple-A Syracuse has been playing for a week, the rest of the Mets' minor-league system gets underway Friday. New York's system has improved over the past couple of seasons, not just because of the talent the club has acquired but because of significant strides in its player development system. In a second season under president of baseball operations David Stearns, the minor-league system has more continuity than usual, and the Mets are optimistic that they'll make even more gains, especially on the hitting side. As the season gets underway, let's look at a dozen prospects who fall into three basic buckets. We've got: This is not an exhaustive list, and it's focused more on players to watch early in the season. The rankings come from Keith Law's spring breakdown of the Mets organization. RHP Brandon Sproat, Syracuse (No. 1 in organization, No. 30 in MLB) Sproat made the biggest leap in the Mets' system last season, evolving into a top-100 prospect in the sport and the consensus No. 1 prospect for New York. He excelled at High-A Brooklyn (1.42 ERA) and Double-A Binghamton (2.45 ERA), earning a promotion late in the summer to Triple-A Syracuse. Once in Triple A, Sproat experienced his first adversity in pro ball, pitching to a 7.53 ERA over seven starts. Sproat's first start for Syracuse this year was more of the same: He allowed four runs in two innings. The Mets want to see Sproat attack hitters aggressively in the strike zone, since his stuff should be able to play at this and any level. The right-hander has also added a sinker to his mix that could lead to earlier weak contact and lower pitch counts. Advertisement 'The biggest thing is dominating the strike zone,' said Andrew Christie, the Mets' director of player development. 'Attack. You're going to get outs if you command it in the strike zone.' 'The fastball velocity has always been there and hopefully will always be there. For him, it's finding those quick outs at times,' assistant pitching coordinator Grayson Crawford said of Sproat's sinker. 'Sometimes those power pitchers run into pitch count issues because they do generate so much swing-and-miss. Not that we want to give that away, but we're always looking for ways to steal those quick outs along the way. For him, that will be a big thing.' As an aside, the jump from Double A to Triple A has proven challenging across the sport, and especially for New York's pitchers of late. Since 2023, Mike Vasil, Dom Hamel and Blade Tidwell have all struggled much more at Triple A than at the lower levels. The transition is difficult for a few reasons. First, while the opposing hitters in Double A might have more potential than those in Triple A, Triple-A hitters typically have big-league experience and a better grasp of how to work a pitcher. Second, Triple A uses a different baseball than Double A, and it often takes time to adapt. Third, the implementation of the automatic balls and strikes system in Triple A changed how the strike zone was called. (In the past two years, half of Triple-A games used ABS to call every pitch; in the other half, a challenge system was used.) You can scratch the third one off the list. Triple A has moved to a challenge system for balls and strikes, which should depress the run-scoring environment again. 'I'm fairly hopeful this year, for us and for most of the International League, the pitching performances will improve to a level that's more commensurate with what we expect,' Christie said. Advertisement Tong came out of the chute last April, throwing darts, moving swiftly through St. Lucie, up to Brooklyn (3.71 ERA in 19 starts) for most of the year and finishing with a two-start cameo at Binghamton, where he'll begin this season. Tong's offseason focus was on adjusting his slider to keep its movement profile more consistent. 'Last year it shifted between a cutter and a slurve,' he said. 'This year we're just trying to tighten up the shape.' Almost every pitcher in the Mets organization spent time this spring talking about 'attacking hitters.' That's especially important for Tong, whose step forward in 2024 derived partly from more than halving his walk rate, from 22 percent to 10 percent. McLean gave up on the dream of being a two-way player midway through last season, and the 2023 third-round pick is concentrating solely on his work on the mound now. Once he halted hitting a season ago, he pitched to a 3.00 ERA in his final 12 starts for Binghamton. 'He didn't have a lot of miles on the tires from a pitching perspective, which also means not a lot of reps to improve,' said Mets senior vice president of player development Andy Green. 'He can do things with a baseball that very few people can do. He's going to get to more swing-and-miss, and that's where his challenge resides going into this year. He's learning to harness some really impressive stuff, and as he learns to harness it, he will start to eliminate hitters a lot quicker than last year.' Like McLean, Benge is an Oklahoma State product ditching life as a two-way player; he's just going the other way, dropping his time on the mound to focus on hitting. Benge will start the year with High-A Brooklyn, which comes with a warning from the front office. Do not, under any circumstances, pay attention to your results while hitting on Coney Island in the early part of the season. Maimonides Park is difficult on all hitters but especially on lefty swingers with power, whose well-struck fly balls are generally no match for the spring winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean. That's why Ryan Clifford's slugging percentage was .304 in Brooklyn last season and .457 at Double-A Binghamton. Advertisement 'We really try to raise the awareness of that group,' Christie said. 'Focus on the process and the controllables. Make hard contact on a line. If it gets caught, it gets caught. Obviously, it's a really easy thing to say and a more difficult thing to do.' Keep this in mind when checking in on Benge and a potential breakout candidate in Brooklyn who also swings from the left side, shortstop Boston Baro (I wrote a bit about Baro back in March). Both players are trying to add power to their approaches by pulling the ball in the air; the results of that adjustment will not be tangible for the first six to eight weeks of the season. Whereas Sproat labored in his first outing of the season, Tidwell cruised. He allowed one run on one hit in five innings for Syracuse. That continued the positive momentum Tidwell's been building since late last season. He was very good in his final two starts for Syracuse, then impressed at times in spring training, even throwing an immaculate inning. After years of adding to his mix, Tidwell has reached the point of refining. 'During the season I did a lot of tinkering — probably too much to have any on-field success,' he said. 'By the end of the year, I figured out what I want my arsenal to be and how to use it.' 'He's got a real chance at some point this year to make an impact,' Christie said. 'His stuff is major-league caliber stuff right now.' When Williams made a cameo at Binghamton at the end of the 2023 season, he appeared likelier to start 2025 in the majors than back in Double A. But thanks to wrist surgery, 2024 was a mostly lost season for the top prospect, who played in only 33 games. While Williams returned last season after surgery, even playing a few games at Syracuse, he never quite felt like himself. So his focus all winter and into the spring was finding his swing from a breakout 2023. He used the Mets' hitting lab in spring to compare his current swing to his 2023 form, and he was confident by the end of camp that he was on the right track. Advertisement 'It's more about trust than anything,' he said. 'I just trust myself, trust what I've always done and then you'll have confidence in the way you prepare.' Gilbert missed more than three months in 2024 with a hamstring injury, and he's starting 2025 on the injured list at Triple A because his hamstrings still don't feel right. It's not exactly an encouraging sign. That said, Gilbert is slated to start a rehab assignment for St. Lucie on Friday. Given the persistence of Gilbert's hamstring issues, the Mets are going to be cautious with him before bringing him back up to Syracuse. When Gilbert did play last season, he looked compromised. He hit just .205 in 62 regular-season games, then .208 in 18 more in the Arizona Fall League. He'd hit .289 in an excellent all-around 2023. It's a critical year for Gilbert, who will need to be placed on the 40-man roster or exposed to the Rule 5 draft this winter. Houck's initial foray into pro ball after being drafted in the first round in the summer of 2023 did not go well (.699 OPS), and his first full season in 2024 went worse (.610 OPS). The infielder is going to start the year at St. Lucie again, hopeful that two adjustments can make for a different year. First, Houck made a physical adjustment to his stance, moving closer to the plate. Some of his best contact last season came on pitches in off the plate, which left him susceptible to strikes on the outer half. Second, the Mets have worked with Houck on mentally handling the day-to-day grind in pro ball, especially during times of struggle. That's allowed the Mets to challenge Houck more often in training and practice. 'He's done an awesome job of letting go of what happened last year,' Christie said. 'It's translated into letting go on a daily basis of what happened earlier in that game or practice. That's a real maturation in his mental approach.' Advertisement On Sunday, Allan will do something he hasn't since 2019: pitch in a professional baseball game. It will cap off a remarkable return journey from three elbow surgeries for the 2019 third-round pick, and the Mets are ecstatic he's even gotten to this point. 'A reasonable expectation would have been that he never pitches again,' Christie said. 'He doesn't really care about reasonable expectations. He just has an insane amount of belief in himself.' The Mets made Allan the centerpiece of their 2019 draft for a reason, and they still believe him capable of reaching that level. Allan will be treated as a typical starter at St. Lucie, which means a first outing of three or maybe four innings. 'There's been a lot of breath wasted on pitch and innings limits and determining a limit on a guy prior to seeing how a guy responds to each outing. That's not what we want to do,' Christie said. 'We want to see how he's bouncing back and how his body and his arm feel and just keep stacking days. That's been the theme for the last year.' Most pitchers are doing whatever they can to dial their fastballs up to 99 mph. The Mets want Gomez to tone his down … to 99 mph. Gomez, back from Tommy John surgery he underwent in early 2023, hit 102.8 mph this spring. Nevertheless, the Mets believe he can start and hold his velocity near triple digits multiple times through an order. Gomez had reached High-A Brooklyn before surgery. He'll start this season in St. Lucie, with the Mets hopeful he can get off to a fast start there. 'He has a good enough idea of the strike zone that with his electric stuff, (starting) can really happen,' Christie said. 'We don't want him to go blow 103 for one inning. We want him to stay out there for three or four or five ups and hold 99, which is hilarious to say, but he has done that.' Advertisement When asked who could be this year's Jonah Tong — a pitcher who pops onto everyone's radar early in the season — multiple team sources pointed to Gomez. Wenninger was one of the others mentioned with the potential to follow Tong's blueprint. A 2023 sixth-round pick out of the University of Illinois, the right-handed starter spent his offseason building strength that, theoretically, will allow him to hold his velocity better in 2025. Wenninger averaged about 92 mph on his fastball last season; the Mets think he could add two ticks or more this season. 'He didn't come nearly as prepared for pro ball as a Nolan McLean. He was green when he got to us,' Christie said, pointing out that Wenninger had come from a cold-weather school. 'He's been so impressive just in terms of the work he's put in and the ability to retain and apply information. He's physically gotten a lot stronger.' Lambert looks and acts the part of a late-game fireballing reliever. Drafted as a college reliever in the eighth round last summer out of Oklahoma, Lambert can throw his fastball in the high 90s with a sharp slider off of it. 'We love his mentality,' Christie said. 'He just wants to come right after you and throw it by you. That's what you need to be a big-league reliever.' To make that mix work and move swiftly through the system, as everyone always wants a college reliever to do, Lambert will need to establish better strike-zone credibility. He walked more than 13 percent of opposing hitters with the Sooners last season. His stuff is good enough to play in the strike zone; he just needs to get it there. (Top photo of Nolan McLean: Jim Rassol / Imagn Sports)
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mets vs. Nationals spring training: How to watch on SNY on Feb. 28, 2025
The Mets continue their spring training slate against the Nationals on Friday on SNY at 1:10 p.m. Here's what to know about the game and how to watch... Top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat gets the start for New York. Sproat is expected to open the season with Triple-A Syracuse, but could be an option for New York during the first half of the season Brandon Nimmo is making his Grapefruit League debut as he starts in left field Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso are all in the starting lineup Jose Butto and Huascar Brazoban are among the relievers expected to pitch after Sproat First base/outfield prospect Ryan Clifford, who smacked a two-run homer on Thursday, is available off the bench NATIONALS METS - Francisco Lindor, SS - Juan Soto, RF - Pete Alonso, 1B - Brandon Nimmo, LF - Mark Vientos, 3B - Luis Torrens, C - Tyrone Taylor, CF - Jared Young, DH - Luisangel Acuña, 2B Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings. The new way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or Streaming on the SNY App and will be discontinued by Opening Day. In order to stream games in SNY's regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. To get started on your computer, click here and then follow these steps: Log in using your provider credentials. If you are unsure of your provider credentials, please contact your provider. Link your provider credentials with a new or existing account. Log in using your credentials to watch Mets games on SNY. Select the SNY Mets game you wish to view from the Multimedia Center. MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below. Download the free MLB App. Open 'MLB' and tap on 'Subscriber Login' for Apple Devices or 'Sign in with for Android Devices. Type in your credentials and tap 'Log In.' To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available. For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.
New York Times
22-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets spring training prospect notes: Brandon Sproat's new pitch, Drew Gilbert's old injury issues
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Maybe the best summary of the New York Mets' 2024 minor-league season is that more than one well-regarded prospect referred to it this past week as a 'punch in the mouth.' Yes, there were several developmental wins for New York's farm system last season. At the same time, many of its best prospects suffered a combination of injury and underperformance, which makes 2025 a significant year for their development. That means new pitches, new deliveries, new swings and new emphases this spring. Advertisement Sproat's season was arguably the biggest positive development for the Mets' farm system. In his first full professional season, the right-hander breezed through High A and Double A, advancing to within one level of the majors by the end of the year. He enters this season as the organization's top prospect, according to The Athletic's Keith Law. But in seven late-season starts at the Triple-A level, Sproat experienced his first hardship in pro ball, compiling a 7.53 ERA and seeing his strikeout rate plummet. 'I kind of got away from who I am up there, and that's attacking,' Sproat said. 'Nerves kicked in. It's a little bit of a bigger stage, and obviously it's going to be a bigger stage in the big leagues.' One big takeaway from Sproat's time in Syracuse was a need for a two-seam sinking fastball. The Mets have been aggressive in pushing sinkers, and they believe it can be a crucial pitch for Sproat. 'Sometimes, those power pitchers run into pitch count issues because they do generate so much swing-and-miss,' said Grayson Crawford, who served as Syracuse's pitching coach last season and is now a minor-league pitching coordinator for New York. 'Not that we want to give that away, but we're always looking for ways to steal those quick outs along the way. For him, that will be a big thing.' Sproat threw less than a handful of sinkers at the end of last season. He's happy with how it's evolved over the course of the winter and into spring so far. Gilbert's season was undone almost immediately by a hamstring strain in the first week of April. He missed more than three months and struggled at the plate upon his return. In 56 games at Triple-A Syracuse, Gilbert hit .215 with a .313 on-base percentage and .706 OPS. He hit just .171 during the season against lefties. Gilbert showed a little more in the Arizona Fall League, with four home runs in 21 games. 'It was obviously not the season I wanted. There's no denying that,' Gilbert said. 'It's a harsh reality of the game; sometimes it punches you in the mouth. You've got to just get back up and keep fighting back.' Advertisement The first step is returning to 100 percent. Gilbert said the injury continues to linger, and the Mets plan to be cautious with his ramp-up this spring. Gilbert still could be ready for Opening Day, but the organization's main goal is to ensure he's ready for the entire season. 'It's just getting over the hump,' said Gilbert. 'It's nothing serious at this point. Sometimes injuries linger a little bit. Once we get across the finish line, we'll be in a good spot and unleash a little bit.' Gilbert was a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport entering last season, and in an ideal world would have positioned himself to be an Opening Day option in center field for the Mets this year. Instead, he's making swing changes and hoping to get back to where he was before last season. 'You learn how much you care,' he said about a lost season. 'Not that you didn't know before, but you realize you're willing to do whatever it takes to play in the big leagues and help the Mets organization and chase championships. I'm looking forward to getting that opportunity at some point.' Gilbert isn't the only player thinking specifically about 2023. After a year interrupted by wrist surgery, Williams is trying to get back to the swing that enabled his breakout season. 'I'm just trying to get back to how I was swinging in '23,' he said. 'I came back last year and was really just making sure my wrist was fully healthy. I didn't feel that comfortable and wasn't myself. I'm just trying to make those adjustments.' Williams missed four months with the wrist injury, eventually playing just 33 games across three levels. He got his first taste of Triple A at the end of the season, playing the last six games with Syracuse. Like Gilbert, he got extra at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. Williams has used the Mets' hitting lab at Clover Park to juxtapose that 2023 swing against where he was for most of last season. He's 'slowly progressing' back to that setup and swing. Advertisement 'For me, it's more about trust than anything,' he said. 'I just trust myself, trust what I've always done and then have confidence in the way you prepare.' For almost all of last season, Tidwell couldn't quite fit the puzzle together in his arsenal. After being promoted to Syracuse in the middle of May, Tidwell pitched to an ERA just under six and won one game — the last start of the year. 'During the season I did a lot of tinkering — probably too much to have any on-field success,' he said. 'By the end of the year, the last three weeks, I figured out what I want my arsenal to be and how to use it.' That includes two- and four-seam fastballs, gyro and sweeper sliders and a changeup. Tidwell was encouraged by those final two starts of the year, in which he allowed two runs over 11 innings with 14 strikeouts. So over the winter, there was no more learning a new pitch, no delivery overhauls. It was about refinement. 'At the end of last year, I had a lot of success my last couple starts, so seeing that it works at a high level helps to know that's what I have and that's what I need to be working on going forward,' he said. Like Gilbert, Hamel likened 2024 to a punch in the mouth. The right-hander spent the whole season at Triple A, making 27 starts with a 6.73 ERA. 'Honestly, it feels good to get punched in the mouth sometimes,' the right-hander said. 'Get a little reset. I had a good offseason, worked with some good people on what I wanted to. I'm just ready for this year.' Hamel recently decided to adjust his delivery, eliminating a higher leg kick and being shorter and more efficient to the plate. He compared it to the mechanics used by Yankees reliever Luke Weaver and Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Advertisement 'Last year during a windup, I had some high leg times and get up into my hip and coil too much and fall down the mound or drift too early. This windup really eliminates that,' he said. 'It just allows me to get into an efficient position to be more repeatable and more consistent.' Hamel's been working on that delivery for about a month. His goal is to put himself in a better position to earn a promotion sometime this summer. 'I know my situation,' he said. 'The varsity team is in a really good spot to do some cool stuff this year, and I plan on helping them in any way, shape or form like I know I can. I'm just here to let them know I took a nice shot in the face last year and I'm back on my feet ready to get going.' (Top photo of Brandon Sproat: Jim Rassol / Imagn Images)
