Sophomore right-hander [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] left everything on the field this season for the Florida Gators. He capped off his sophomore campaign with a career-high 114 pitches over seven innings against Central Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA regionals.
[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] opted against bringing in Sproat following the rain delay that allowed Oklahoma to come back and claim the victory three days later. The Sooners sent their ace out there to close it out, and Sproat walked out to the mound and crouched to take in the moment.
Was this his final time wearing the Orange and Blue?
How could it be with the team falling six outs short of making it to the next stage and giving Sproat another chance to win the first game of a best of three?
Well, the MLB is calling and Sproat is draft eligible. After being selected in the seventh round out of Pace High School in 2019, his stock has only risen. He can touch the high-90s and his starting to show just how deep he can go into games. MLB.com recently included him in a list of college draft prospects on the rise, and that article was published before Sproat showed his stuff against CMU.
“One of the most intriguing pitchers in the Draft, Sproat has a big-time arm but a limited performance track record. He turned in one of his best outings of the season against South Carolina in Hoover, though. Sproat allowed a run on four hits over 8 1/3 innings, striking out seven against one walk. He had not lasted more than 6 2/3 innings in any previous start and had walked multiple batters in seven of his previous 10 starts.
Ranked No. 112 (roughly a fourth-round projection) on MLB.com’s draft tracker, Sproat can head to the minors and continue to establish that track record. Or, he can return to Florida and settle some unfinished business.
He did just see [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] turn down a second-round contract from the Boston Red Sox a year ago to return for another year. It’s certainly not out of the cards. Sproat quote tweeted a post from Nick de la Torre of Gators Online and claimed that he was unsure of what the future held. He also took the opportunity to thank the Gators faithful for always supporting him.
Not sure what the future holds for me, but thank you Gator Nation! Forever and always a Gator🧡💙 @GatorsBB https://t.co/1WJpeg5SgU
— Brandon Sproat (@BrandonSproat) June 7, 2022
A farewell makes the most sense, but there’s a lot to support the idea of returning for another season. It all depends on where he’s taken this summer. The projections are sure to change over the next month and a half, and Sproat could continue to move up those rankings. A fourth or fifth round offer is easier to turn down than a second or third round offer.
Whatever happens, Sproat’s contribution to the team won’t be forgotten. Especially when he and [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] called off Sully in the seventh to let him finish the inning against Central Michigan. That’s the kind of intangible you want to see from an MLB prospect, and let’s face it, calling off Sully takes some guts to pull off.
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