Mets' Brandon Sproat, who has never seen snow, prepping for cold of Syracuse (and Queens)
Mets prospect Brandon Sproat throws during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Feb. 13. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Brandon Sproat has never seen snow.
The 24-year-old Florida native was born and raised on the panhandle, minutes from the Alabama border, and stayed in state for college, becoming a standout at the University of Florida. Since going pro with the Mets — he has become the organization’s top prospect — Sproat has spent an awful lot of time here at their spring training complex.
Including last month. When it snowed. In Sproat’s hometown of Pace. A whopping 8 inches.
“But I was down here at camp when it happened,” the righthander said. “So I was a little salty about that. My family was FaceTiming me and everything. I was so upset about it, to be honest. I was bummed.”
Through that lens, then, Sproat, who will make his Grapefruit League debut Friday with a start against the Nationals, is nearing a noteworthy opportunity — personally and professionally.
In a few weeks, he’ll head north with the Triple-A Mets, who will open the season in Massachusetts before playing in Syracuse.
The Northeast? In early spring? Snow on the ground — maybe even snowfall — is totally possible. Dreams might come true.
Sproat, however, will have to figure out how to contend with the cold on the field, too.
“If he’s going to pitch in New York,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said, “he’s gotta pitch in the cold.”
Sproat said: “It’s going to be cool to see. But I don’t think it’s going to be fun to play in.”
Playing in it is part of the deal, especially for a flamethrower from whom the Mets expect big things. In Queens, it can be borderline wintry for the first homestand or two, so much so that the team occasionally gets snowed out. And that is not to mention what October can bring.
So consider the early stages of this season a chance to push his development in more ways than one. In addition to proving generally that he can dominate in Triple-A, where he had a 7.53 ERA in seven starts last season, and refining a sinker, the newest piece of his arsenal, Sproat may well get experience pitching in the cold.
And experience is what it’s all about, according to reliever Ryne Stanek, a Kansas native.
“If you’ve never pitched in the cold, you don’t know what you want to feel,” he said. “Knowing what you’re trying to feel, doing it more, you understand what you’re looking for. That’s the biggest thing.”
For Stanek, the key is moisture.
“I lick my fingers all the time,” he said. “I just lick them. You have to wipe it off, obviously, but it creates a little bit of warmth, a little bit of moisture so you can feel the ball on your fingertips a little bit better.”
Starter Clay Holmes, who has spent his career with Pittsburgh and New York teams, said: “Hitters don’t like [the cold], so let’s throw it in the zone and make them swing.”
Hefner highlighted the tools available to stay warm and the physiological importance of doing so. In addition to heaters in the dugout, the Mets have oven mitt-shaped handwarmers and fanny pack-type handwarmers (like quarterbacks wear), both of which are battery-powered, offering some serious heat.
By using those between innings, pitchers can keep their arms loose during downtime, helping to prevent injury.
“What happens — and this is theory — when it is cold is it’s harder to hold on to the ball, you’re gripping harder,” Hefner said. “There could be [health-related] implications. Not saying that there will be implications, but there could be implications.”
Usually, fortunately, the implications are merely about being temporarily uncomfortable.
Stanek once participated in a 35-degree contest in Chicago after it snowed 2 inches earlier in the day.
“It was so miserable and snowy and ugh,” he said, adding that in the bullpen, relievers counted fans in the stands one by one. “It was a running joke that . . . nobody wants to be out here right now. But you’re like, well, this is the job.”
Notes & quotes: The Mets agreed to a minor-league contract with veteran righthander Jose Urena, according to Urena, who appeared in the clubhouse Thursday morning. The 33-year-old spent last season with the Rangers, posting a 3.80 ERA across 109 innings in a swingman role, making nine starts and 24 relief appearances . . . Holmes is up to six scoreless innings in camp after tossing three in a 5-0 win over the Astros . . . Max Kranick, competing for a bullpen spot, pitched two shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out three (no walks) . . . Brett Baty hit his second home run.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
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