Brandon Sproat offers plenty of hope for 2025 after electric spring debut
The Mets' top pitching prospect dominated against the Nationals on Friday. Plus, notes on a potential starter job for Jose Ureña, and that explosive top of the lineup...
What’s up with the Mets? 🌴
The Mets recorded a dominant shutout win for the second consecutive day after beating the Nationals 7-0 at Clover Park (box)
RHP Brandon Sproat was electric in his first start of spring training, touching 99 mph on his fastball in two perfect innings with one strikeout
RHP José Buttó walked one hitter but was able to record a scoreless inning, while RHP Huascar Brazobán twirled a perfect inning in his bid to win a spot in the bullpen
OF Juan Soto hit his second home run of spring training with a two-run shot to opposite field in the second inning. Soto now has a 1.569 OPS so far this spring
C Luis Torrens got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with a line-drive single that scored two. Torrens is hitting .417/.462/.417/.878 through five Grapefruit League games
SS Francisco Lindor was dangerous at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored
1B Pete Alonso also enjoyed a productive day after going 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored
3B Mark Vientos went 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored as the Mets recorded 13 hits in total
OF prospect Jett Williams entered the game in the sixth inning and recorded an infield single his first time up, before drawing a walk in his final at-bat
OF Brandon Nimmo - making his first start of spring - drew a walk his first time up and got a total of two at-bats before being given the rest of the day off
The Mets officially announced the signing of RHP Jose Ureña to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp
Injury Updates 🏥
INF Nick Madrigal (fractured left shoulder) will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the entire 2025 season
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (3-4) at Rays (2-4)
Where: Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, FL
Starters: RHP Blade Tidwell (0-0, 13.50 ERA) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan
When: 1:05 PM EST
Where to Listen: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM
Some spring training notes on Brandon Sproat, Jose Ureña and that potent top of the lineup… ✍️
There was a lot to unpack from the Mets’ dominant win over the Nationals on Friday alone, so now feels like the right time to empty the notebook and fire through a slew of Saturday thoughts…
Waiting For Hope
Brandon Sproat certainly made a great first impression in his spring training debut on Friday. The Mets’ top pitching prospect dominated against the Nationals at Clover Park, recording two perfect innings and reaching 99 mph on his fastball.
Sproat didn’t need many pitches at all in order to roll through his first outing of spring, eliciting three groundouts on just nine pitches in an uber-impressive first inning. The righty also cruised through the second, finishing his day with an exclamation point after striking out Robert Hassell on a filthy fastball.
Having also flashed a new-and-improved sinker, Sproat certainly looked like a big leaguer, and his electric spring training debut will only serve to further fuel the excitement around the top prospect.
However, while there remain a ton of question marks about this rotation, it is important to keep in mind that Sproat won’t win a surprise early call-up to the Show. Instead, he will begin the year at Triple-A and look to further work on his craft and prove that he can be successful at the highest level of the minors. After all, the right-handed pitcher hit his first roadblock at Triple-A last year, recording a 7.85 ERA while allowing seven home runs over his final seven starts of the season.
But, what we do have is hope, even if we have to wait a little longer for it to eventually arrive. If Sproat can dominate right out of the gate with Syracuse and put together a long stretch of impressive starts, then it is easy to envision the highly-regarded prospect earning a call-up sometime after the All-Star break. Although, if Sproat really dominates early and the Mets don’t get the desired results they need from the rotation, maybe a late May / early June call-up could be a possibility. Sproat’s stuff does look major league ready, and it would be a shock if he isn’t a part of that rotation at some point in 2025.
I have my doubts over the starting rotation, especially in the wake of injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. But, Sproat’s eye-catching performance on Friday certainly allays some of those fears, knowing that help in the form of an elite young arm will be on the way at some point over the coming months.
Rotation Help
Speaking of the starting rotation, there might not be any need to rush Sproat because of the depth the Mets are building up when it comes to their big-league starters.
Jose Ureña, who was signed to a minor-league contract with an invite to big-league camp earlier this week, is going to get stretched out with a view to eventually competing for a spot in that rotation.
Now, the well-traveled reliever is versatile and could also pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen. But with the rotation having already had to absorb a couple of body blows, it does sound like the plan is for Ureña to become a part of that starting staff in some capacity.
Ureña was pretty solid for the Rangers in 2024, posting a 3.20 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 109.0 innings over nine starts and 24 relief appearances. He is a roundball machine with good velo, he generates a lot of ground balls (he had a ground ball rate of 50.6 percent in 2024), and he also doesn’t miss a whole lot of bats. However, on the flip side, a lot of his peripherals and underlying metrics are concerning. For instance, his walk rate and barrel percentage were hovering around average, while his hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity, and pitching run value were all below average.
So, there are some notable concerns that exist with Ureña, and it is fair to wonder how long his stuff might be sustainable for. He may not be able to go that deep into games.
But, with that said, there is upside with Ureña, and he has the potential to be used in a multitude of ways. He could work well as an opener that could pitch multiple innings, or he could be used as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen later on in the year. No matter how you slice it, Ureña is a low-risk, high-reward type pickup and one that further demonstrates David Stearns’ ability to be able to spot value in certain pitchers where others can’t.
Explosive Potential
It is foolish to get too carried away with anything in spring training, especially this early on. After all, a lot of things throughout the first couple of weeks of spring games can prove to be fool’s gold.
However, it was hard not to get excited when watching the top of the Mets lineup absolutely rake against the Nationals on Friday. Juan Soto hit his second home run of spring, and he now owns a 1.569 OPS in spring training. Francisco Lindor, batting leadoff, recorded a pair of singles while scoring two runs, and Pete Alonso, hitting just behind Soto, laced a double and is now hitting .500 this spring.
That’s a pretty formidable top of the lineup, and one that even the very best pitchers in baseball will struggle to navigate and pitch around.
We also saw Brandon Nimmo get his first taste of spring action on Friday. Batting fourth, Nimmo could prove to be an X-Factor for this lineup. Able to get on base at a high clip, Nimmo could set the table for what is a meaty middle of the order with Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez, and Jesse Winker. Consistent production from those four in particular would mean that the punishment would keep on coming for pitchers after getting through the initial threat of the elite three-headed monster at the top of the lineup.
Again, we’re still in the early throes of spring, but watching Soto, Lindor, and Alonso mash on Friday was a hell of a thrill ride and it only raises the excitement levels for what this lineup could be capable of throughout 2025.
Around the League 🚩
Yankees RHP Luis Gil was shut down from a bullpen session after experiencing discomfort in his pitching shoulder and will now get an MRI
Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in the first at-bat of his spring training debut as the Dodgers beat the Angels, 6-5
Jackson Holliday blasted a two-run home run and recorded a stolen base to help the Orioles out slug the Twins, 13-10
Gerrit Cole struck out five over 46 pitches in his spring debut and Cody Bellinger slugged his first homer of spring as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 6-3
Jose Altuve made his debut in left field for the Astros on Friday, but faced little action over six innings during a 3-2 win over the Cardinals
Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara continued to ramp up, touching at least 100 mph three times in two scoreless innings against the Braves
Kyle Higashioka hit two home runs and finished with six RBIs and two runs scored as the Rangers tied with the Cubs, 8-8
Sproat looked really good. Has a Matt Harvey vibe to me. Assuming he stays healthy we’ll see him probably in May
Was great to watch Sproat pitch and good to hear his SNY interview.