Tag: Brandon Sproat

Brandon Sproat named Mets minor league, Eastern League Pitcher of Year

A strong first year in the Minor Leagues have earned former Florida right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat some hardware.

Former Florida Gators ace [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] was named the New York Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year on Monday by Baseball America and the Double-A Eastern League Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday.

Sproat also earned an Eastern League All-Star nod after posting a 2.45 ERA and a 77 strikeout-to-15-walk ratio for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies over 62 1/3 innings.

A 2023 draftee, Sproat rested for the second half of the 2023 minor league season after throwing a career-high 106 1/3 innings for Florida en route to a College World Series run that ended on the last day of the season.

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In his first Minor League season, Sproat spent time in High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, throwing more than 116 innings total. His longest stop was in Double-A Binghamton, but the now 24-year-old should begin next season in Triple-A Syracuse with a shot to make his MLB debut in 2025.

His numbers weren’t great with Syracuse, but many minor leaguers struggle with fatigue in their first year. Even Paul Skenes is kept on a pitch limit as a major leaguer.

MLB Pipeline ranks Sproat No. 37 among all prospects, No. 7 among right-handed pitchers in the minors and No. 1 in the Mets’ farm system.

Brandon Sproat as a Florida Gator

Sproat signed with Florida as a member of the class of 2020 and appeared in four games out of the bullpen as a true freshman before the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down.

He showed promise as a redshirt freshman over 16 appearances and two midweek starts, but a 6.65 ERA and poor metrics (13.8 BB%, 16.5 K%) gave some pause as he moved into the weekend rotation.

Sproat began the 2022 campaign as Florida’s No. 2 behind Hunter Barco, but a season-ending injury to the ace moved him into that role a year early. The results were surprising. Sproat ended the 2022 season with a 9-4 record and 3.41 ERA over 89 2/3 innings.

The New York Mets drafted him with the 90th overall pick in the third round, but Sproat opted to return to Florida and boost his draft stock.

Sproat’s numbers dropped in 2023, but he raised his strikeout rate to a career-high 28.8% (excluding 2020). The Mets took him again in the second round with the 56th overall pick.

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Multiple Gators land on ESPN’s 2024 midseason top 100 MLB prospects rankings

Jac Caglianone headlines a group of Gators listed on ESPN’s 2024 midseason top 100 MLB prospects rankings.

Florida baseball has been dishing out MLB-ready players throughout the years with over 80 players making it to the Major Leagues in its history.

The amount of high-level talent that the Gators have produced is incredible. Florida alumni like [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag], [autotag]Brady Singer[/autotag] and Wyatt Langford have each made an impact on the professional stage.

So it comes to no surprise that a few former Gators have landed on ESPN’s MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel’s midseason top 100 prospects rankings.

The Gators that are mentioned in the top 100 rankings are Jac Caglianone, Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep. So where do they each rank on the list?

Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals) – No. 26

Position: 1B

Level: High-A

The Royals selected Caglianone with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft after the two-way player had a stellar career with Florida.

In his last season with the Gators, Caglianone started all 66 games and batted .419 with 35 home runs (a single-season program record) and 72 RBI.

As a pitcher, Caglianone threw for 73.2 innings, had a 4.76 ERA and 83 strikeouts.

There’s still some work that needs to be done fielding-wise. Now, the Royals haven’t necessarily shut the door on him pitching yet, but I just don’t see him being effective on the mound at the major league level. If he can work on his fielding at first base, there’s no doubt in my mind that Caglianone can be a great player in the pros.

Brandon Sproat (New York Mets) – No. 71

Position: RHP

Level: AAA

Sproat was selected No. 56 overall by the Mets in the second round of the 2023 draft.

Sproat’s variety of pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup and cutter) are what makes him so deceptive on the mound. His fastball has touched triple digits before but it usually sits around 95-97 mph.

The Mets just moved Sproat up after a 13-strikeout performance to Triple-A. Posting a 2.45 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 62.1 innings of work in Double-A, the right-hander is the highest-rated prospect in the Mets’ farm system.

Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta Braves) – No. 98

Position: RHP

Level: AAA

At the 98th spot, Waldrep just snuck into the rankings, but nonetheless, the right-handed pitcher shows why he belongs.

The Atlanta Braves selected Waldrep with the 24th overall pick in the 2023 draft. The 22-year-old is pitching at the Triple-A level where he has an ERA of 5.68 with 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.

Waldrep even played a couple of games at the MLB level but they were shaky. He gave up six and seven earned runs to the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals, respectively.

There’s no doubt that Waldrep has some things he needs to work on such as his command and control. But he’s still very young and I believe he has a lot of potential.

ESPN’s Top Five Prospects

The top five prospects on McDaniel’s rankings are Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles), James Wood (Washington Nationals), Carson Williams (Tampa Bay Rays), Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) and Marcelo Mayer (Boston Red Sox).

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SEC, ACC dominate 1st half of MLB draft’s 1st round on Sunday night

Another fine showing for the SEC on the opening night of the 2024 MLB draft.

The first round of the 2024 MLB draft is in the books and the Southeastern Conference — as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference — dominated the top half of the opening round.

USA TODAY Sports writer Gabe Lacques penned up his five takeaways after the dust settled, noting that the SEC and ACC were a significant presence among the top picks.

“After Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana was picked No. 1 overall, 11 of the next 14 players selected hailed from either Southeastern or Atlantic Coast Conference schools,” Lacques begins.

“That tracks with the most recent College World Series, in which the field was comprised entirely of ACC and SEC teams.

“Wake Forest had three players taken in the top 10, giving the Demon Deacons five first-rounders the past two years. And the SEC had 16 of the top 60 picks.”

Does it truly just matter more?

“The SEC is the best of the best. You got guys like Paul Skenes coming out, [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] coming out, Friday night guys who are top-round picks,” says Tennessee infielder Christian Moore, taken eighth overall by the Los Angeles Angels.

“It definitely prepares you for pro ball. I don’t know what it’s like, but I hope it’s fun,” he added.

“Telling that Moore would lump Sproat, a second-round pick of the Mets out of Florida in 2023, in the same breath as Skenes, who leaped from 1/1 in 2023 to starting the All-Star Game in 2024,” Lacqeus continues.

“While Sun Belt schools always had a weather advantage, the same advantages that lure high school kids to college – NIL, excellent facilities, pro-level coaches – are exacerbated in the SEC and ACC.

“Yes, the rich will continue to get richer.”

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Former Florida RHP Hurston Waldrep gets called up to MLB

It only took a year for former Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep to make his way through the minor leagues. He’ll make his first start MLB Sunday.

Less than a year removed from pitching in the College World Series as a Florida Gator, right-hander [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] is getting his shot in the major leagues.

The Southern Miss transfer who played just one dazzling season in the Orange and Blue will make his first MLB start on Sunday for the Atlanta Braves after getting the call-up from Triple-A. He’ll face the Washington Nationals at 1:35 p.m. ET.

Even with [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] at the top of the rotation, Waldrep was Florida’s most effective starter for most of the 2023 season. He went 10-3 over 19 starts with a 4.16 earned run average over 101 2/3 innings.

Those numbers earned him a Second Team All-American nod from D1Baseball and, more importantly, convinced the Braves to spend the 24th overall pick in the draft on him.

His quick ascent through the minors was almost [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag]-esque. Waldrep made one start in Single-A ball, threw a season-high 12 innings in High-A and got 10 innings in Double-A before finishing the season in Triple-A. He bounced between AA and AAA this year with a fairly clear path to the majors.

An extra day of rest for Max Fried provoked the call-up, which means a move back down to the minors could come soon after, but Waldrep will be a regular arm in Atlanta sooner rather than later. His splitter is going to generate some of the best swing-and-miss rates in the country.

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Brandon Sproat drafted by New York Mets in second round

For the second year in a row, Florida right-hander Brandon Sproat has been drafted by the New York Mets, but he’s expected to sign with them this time around.

Florida’s Friday night starter, right-hander [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag], is trading in the Orange and Blue for… another pair of orange and blue.

No, the Gators aren’t getting Sproat back for another year. The New York Mets once again drafted the flamethrowing righty and are likely to sign him this time around. Those who follow closely will remember that Sproat turned down a third-round deal from the Mets after last year’s draft to chase a national championship in the Swamp.

While Sproat ultimately came up short of that national title quest, he did elevate his draft stock and earned himself a decent chunk of change. The slot value for the 56th overall pick this year is just under $1.5 million, while the 90th overall pick in last year’s draft was slotted to receive $691,300. That’s an increase of almost $800,000.

The stuff has always been there for Sproat. His fastball can touch triple digits and his changeup really turned into a devastating offspeed option this season. Establishing his breaking stuff should be easy if he can get those other two pitches down consistently. Scouts say they want to see that ride-and-run action on the fastball a bit more often than they did in 2023.

If Sproat can figure things out, he’ll move up the system rather quickly. A year or two in Double-A is reasonable if all goes well. Look for him to make the majors around late 2025 or early 2026 in that scenario.

Sproat leaves Florida with a career 4.27 ERA  over 223 2/3 innings. He struck out 242 batters while giving up 114 runs (106 earned) on 202 hits and 99 walks.

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A final look at Gators in MLB.com’s 2023 mock draft

Here’s a last glance at what some of the draft experts think will happen Sunday night.

The 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft is scheduled to start on Sunday night at 7 p.m. EDT in Seattle, Washington, to kick off a week of All-Star Game festivities. This summer, a pair of former Florida Gators are expected to be selected in the first round of the draft — with a possibility of a couple more joining them in the compensations rounds.

The main focus has been on outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], who helped power the Orange and Blue to a College World Series finals appearance despite an injury that slowed him down midseason. According to both Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo in their final mock draft for MLB.com before the fireworks begin, the standout from Trenton, Florida, is expected to be taken in the top spot by the Pittsburgh Pirates — which would make him the first Gator ever to achieve the feat.

Here is what Callis had to offer.

It looks like one of the three Southeastern Conference superstars for the Pirates, and probably one of the hitters. Money aside, most teams would take Louisiana State outfielder Dylan Crews, but clubs can’t just put money aside in the bonus pool era, and he’s going to command more than Langford. How much more? Probably $500,000 and maybe closer to $1 million. Personally, I’d take Louisiana State right-hander Paul Skenes because of the rarity of his talent, and it wouldn’t shock me if Pittsburgh opted for him.

As for Mayo, here is how he feels.

Here’s how I ended up with this, with the disclaimer that the Pirates will continue to work through all possibilities involving the top five players: There’s a growing sense that the Pirates are leaning toward a bat over an arm (Paul Skenes), and despite the buzz, I think Dylan Crews is still in play. That said, the chatter that he wasn’t their guy was hard to ignore. So if he’s off the table, that likely leaves Langford and Max Clark, and it could come down to whatever combination of agreement on talent and cost. There were scouts who felt Langford was just as good as Crews — or at least close — and would sign for less. And he’d be the “get to the big leagues faster” option over Clark.

The other former Florida product expected to go on the opening night is starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who Callis has going at No. 12 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After being tied to Houck for a while, the D-backs apparently prefer collegians. Lowder, Teel and Dollander would be in play if still available. If not, Waldrep would be the top pitching option and several college shortstops (Maryland’s Matt Shaw, Stanford’s Tommy Troy, Wilson) could be attractive.

Mayo also agreed that the right-hander is a first-round talent, he picked him to be taken by the Milwaukee Brewers at No. 18 overall.

Sticking with the Brewers breaking their college hitter streak by taking Waldrep, the last of the college arms that seems certain to go in the opening round. But if they can’t kick the habit, they could look at Schanuel or Davis.

Also mentioned was starting pitcher [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag], who Callis believes will be taken at no. 39 overall by the Oakland Athletics.

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PHOTOS: Highlights from Brandon Sproat’s 2023 campaign

A good deal of credit for Florida baseball’s success during the 2023 regular season was due to Friday night starter Brandon Sproat.

A good deal of credit for Florida baseball’s success during the 2023 regular season was due to Friday night starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag], who represented the ace of the staff this spring.

The junior out of Pace, Florida, featured an electric four-seam fastball that reached the high-90s mph as well as a mix of sliders, changeups and curveballs to keep his opponents off balance. The fourth-year hurler actually took a slight step back from his 2022 campaign but still managed to mow down most of his Southeastern Conference opponents.

Sproat recorded a 4.85 ERA over 78 regular-season innings, notching a 7-3 record while limiting opposing batters to a .200 batting average. The right-hander struck out 100 hitters against just 35 walks but also had some control issues with 14 hit-by-pitches and six wild pitches.

Take a look below at some of the top photographic highlights from Florida baseball’s ace pitcher Brandon Sproat’s full season of work in Gainesville during the 2023 season.

Neely holds on for second-straight save, Florida sweeps Mizzou

After being swept a week ago by South Carolina, the Florida Gators brought the brooms out and took care of Missouri.

For the second-straight night, Florida’s closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] closed out the game and delivered the Gators an 8-7 win over the Missouri Tigers.

Saves aren’t always notable, but they are when a closer is coming back from being ejected and suspended for four games. That’s what happened to Neely on the final day of the Georgia series, which meant he had to miss all three games Florida played against South Carolina last week. The bullpen seemed uneasy without Neely as an anchor, and the SEC saves leader showed exactly why he’s so important to this club on Sunday against Mizzou.

Neely entered the game after [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] surrendered three straight singles in relief of [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag]. A five-run lead had shrunk to just two, and Kevin O’Sullivan wasn’t risking things. Of course, Neely set the three batters he faced down in order, ending things with a looking strike out on Luke Mann. A run did score on a sacrifice fly for out No. 1, though.

Neely had little margin for error in the ninth, and it was a roller coaster of an inning. The first two outs came like clockwork, but Juju Stevens almost hit a game-tying home run that landed maybe six inches foul of the pole down the left-field line. Richie Schiekofer made an incredible effort on the ball and nearly robbed it. He’ll probably have a sore shoulder tomorrow.

The drama didn’t end there. Stevens reached on catcher’s interference after connecting with BT Riopelle’s glove on what should have been strike three. The training staff took a look at him and let him stay out there to close out the game. Riopelle will be lucky if he avoids any broken bones and was probably just running on adrenaline at the end there.

It can’t be said enough how important Riopelle is to the team, both from an on-the-field standpoint and as a leader. Losing him for any length of time would be detrimental to the team, but all Gator fans can do right now is hold their breath.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] got his usual Sunday start despite not being listed at the start of the series. With [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] throwing a shortened complete game and Florida using up just two bullpen arms on Saturday, O’Sullivan figured he could give Caglianone a shot without worrying about a short afternoon.

Cags lasted through the third and looked decent through those innings, but the fourth was a different story and he got pulled after loading the bases without getting an out. Sully mentioned that batting in the bottom of an inning and pitching in the top can rush Caglianone, and he’s still learning to make that transition.

It’s worth discussing Fisher as the Sunday starter and moving Caglianone to a long-relief or close role for a bit. His power arm might be best served in short bursts, and there won’t be as much pressure to keep some left in the tank for a fourth or fifth inning as a reliever.

Still, splitting innings with Caglianone and Fisher isn’t a bad idea either, especially if the goal is to keep the former on a progression track as a starter. He only gave up one earned run and struck out five on Sunday, after all.

Fisher looked really comfortable, too. He didn’t have his best strikeout stuff today, but it’s good to see him pitch to contact a bit and work out of jams. Pro scouts will be happy to see it as well.

Offensively, [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] led the day with four hits, including home run No. 10 in the first. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] hit No. 25 in the fifth and [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] got No. 13 in the seventh. Florida entered the weekend with the fourth-most homers of any ball club in the country, and the power is only picking up as the season continues.

[autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] also had multi-hit days with runs batted in. Tyler Shelnut finally cooled off with an 0-for-2 afternoon, but he still drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.

It was a good win to close out a strong weekend for Florida. Missouri isn’t close to the top of the division, but this is still the SEC and sweeps are hard to come by.

Florida travels to Jacksonville on Tuesday to go for the season sweep against Florida State in the neutral site game. Then, it’s off to College Station to face the Texas A&M Aggies.

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Florida mercy rules Mizzou to kick off weekend series

Florida is back to its winning ways against the SEC. The Gators finished things in seven innings Friday night with an 11-1 win over the Missouri Tigers.

Florida looked dominant once again in an 11-1 win over Missouri Friday night that only needed seven innings to reach a conclusion.

[autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] pitched a complete game, striking out seven over as many innings while allowing just three baserunners. His only walk of the night came in the top of the seventh, and he threw 70% strikes. The changeup was dynamite tonight and the fastball had some nice run on it early on.

The offense did most of the scoring in the second inning when both [autotag]Tyler Shlenut[/autotag] and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] each hit three-run homers. Shelnut is getting his shot in right field in place of a struggling [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag], and a 2 for 4 night with four RBIs should keep him there through Sunday.

Caglianone’s homer was his 24th of the year, and he is now three away from breaking the program record that Wyatt Langford tied a season ago. It’s not a question of if but when with Caglianone, and it might get done within the next week if he can stay hot.

[autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] hit his first collegiate home run, and everyone in the stadium was happy for him. Robertson is a fantastic center fielder with elite speed, but he’s not exactly a power hitter. He got a hold of this one, though, sending it 374 feet and 105 mph off the bat.

[autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] homered in the fifth and had a nice 2 for 3 night with a walk after struggling recently. If Riopelle can return to First Team All-SEC form just ahead of the playoffs, the Gators will be better for it and have a real shot at winning it all.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] drove in [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] in the sixth, Riopelle scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and Shelnut walked it off with an RBI single to put the run rule into effect.

This was the kind of night Florida needed, even if it is against a Missouri team that might not be up to par with the rest of the SEC. The Gators are back at it on Saturday at noon to avoid some nasty weather coming in later in the day, so set your alarms!

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Major takeaways from Florida’s humbling series loss to South Carolina

The Gators left Columbia, South Carolina with a bitter taste in their mouths after going 0-3 against the Gamecocks, but it’s how Florida responds to an ugly series that matters most.

For the first weekend in 2023, it was tough to be a Florida baseball fan.

The Gators were swept on the road by the South Carolina Gamecocks by scores of 13-3 (7), 5-2 and 7-5 in a three-game set that ran from Thursday to Saturday. It’s UF’s first series loss of the season and moves the club to 31-10 overall and 11-7 in SEC play.

The Florida pitching staff left a lot to be desired this weekend. Things seem to go downhill as soon as Kevin O’Sullivan turned to the bullpen, and the offense couldn’t do much until late in the final game of the series.

This might be the worst Florida fans will feel all season long, but that’s dependent on whether or not a team capable of competing for a national championship adjust after getting smacked in the mouth.

It’s ugly to go over, but there is no need for Gator Nation to sense doom and gloom. Florida is still a top-five program in the country that simply ran into a buzzsaw.