Mets' Brandon Sproat should get a shot at upcoming spot start

Mets prospect Brandon Sproat had just pitched six scoreless innings for Triple-A Syracuse, his fastball hitting 99 mph, when he told reporters that whenever the Mets needed him, he’d be ready.

That was a little less than two weeks ago, and, well…plenty has happened to the Mets in that span.

Despite the cushy 20-9 record they took into Tuesday’s contest against the Diamondbacks, the rigors of the baseball season spare no team, the Mets included. And everyone was reminded of that when Carlos Mendoza revealed before the game that A.J. Minter’s lat injury could potentially require season-ending surgery – compromising the back-end of their bullpen and further taxing a relief corps that’s been called upon plenty, early.

There’s a lot to miss in Minter, but the reverberations here are more significant than, “man, the Mets sure could use their set-up guy."
It’s April, and ideally, these arms need to last until October; bullpens are also volatile beasts, and slumps very much happen. Add to that, starters and relievers have a symbiotic relationship: Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are still injured, and the Mets must continue their search for a consistent sixth starter, meaning there's a greater onus on the Reed Garretts and Max Kranicks of the world right now. The guys they do have starting haven’t given them much length yet, either – the 149 2/3 innings from the rotation is 16th in baseball.

So, whither Sproat?

You would be forgiven in thinking that the Mets would slot in their top prospect for a spot start Wednesday, but Mendoza said that job would go, in some capacity, to Brandon Waddell – either as a starter or as a bulk man behind an opener.

There certainly are reasons for keeping Sproat in Triple-A, though none of them feel particularly convincing when Jose Urena is giving up five earned runs over three innings like he did against the Nationals Monday. Sproat has had three strong starts this year and two certified clunkers – the last being his most recent: six earned runs on six hits over 2 1/3 innings last week.

But the upside here is significant, and when he’s on, Sproat has flashed the sort of wipeout stuff that could turn him into a future frontline starter – just ask the Single-A batters he manhandled when he was playing with the Cyclones last year.

At 6-3, the righthander can hit triple-digits with that fastball, setting up a devastating (and new) sweeper that should be able to do plenty of damage at the major-league level. Add to those pitches: an above-average slider he uses as a strikeout pitch, a plus changeup, and a sinker, cutter and curveball. He’s got his flaws, yes – he walks way too many batters and an MLB.com scouting report notes his fastball relies more on velocity than shape, and that can get you in big trouble if you’re catching too much of the plate. But with respect to Waddell, who’s had a strong start to his season in Triple-A, Sproat is far (far) more likely to be part of the Mets’ future, and there’s no compelling reason the future shouldn’t start now.

There is, of course, the eternal worry that a few bad MLB starts could get into a young player’s head and delay his progression, but that’s going to be the case whether Sproat, 24, makes his debut in April or August. It'll also be intriguing to see what progress he makes with consistent exposure to major-league hitters, input from teammates, and further tutelage under pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who’s done an admirable job coaxing as much talent as he can from a staff that, before the season, seemed like it would be a weak spot for this team.

And let’s say Sproat comes to Flushing and does well. Suddenly, you’ve got a little more protection for those bullpen arms – something that is very much on Mendoza’s mind. The Mets manager was referencing load management just a few weeks into the season, and that’s certainly at the forefront now that Minter is hurt, despite his best efforts.

“Here we are facing injury with a guy that we tried to protect big time,” Mendoza said of Minter. “Even as hard as it is going into a game knowing you don’t have certain guys – whether it’s an Edwin Diaz or a Reed Garrett, these are some of the things that early, we have to manage and make sure that we’re playing for the big picture.”

If the scouting reports are to be believed, that big picture will, at one point, also include Sproat. He said it himself: When the Mets need him, he’ll be ready.

The Mets need him. Let him get ready.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.