The Mets’ fireballing prospect is blazing his way up the rankings.
Righty starter Brandon Sproat is the Mets’ newest top-ranked prospect in MLB.com’s latest top-100 rankings, registering 40th on the list.
The Mets have four prospects in the listing, a drop from the six they had in the July rankings, including No. 57 Jett Williams, No. 82 Drew Gilbert and No. 83 Ryan Clifford.
Infielder Luisangel Acuna slipped out of the top 100 from his previous No. 93 ranking, while Christian Scott has graduated from his prospect status.
The Mets also had four prospects crack ESPN’s top-100 list, although Williams (No. 31) led the way, followed by Sproat (No. 71), Ronny Mauricio (No. 73) and Gilbert (No. 90).
Sproat ranked 98th in MLB.com’s previous write-up but his impressive results and triple-digits fastball have now made him one of the premier pitching prospects in the sport.
The 2023 second-round pick from the University of Florida has posted a 2.53 ERA spanning Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A this season while tallying 114 strikeouts in 92 1/3 innings.
Sproat, 23, notched a 2.45 ERA in 11 starts with Double-A Binghamton to earn his recent promotion to Triple-A Syracuse.
He struck out 11 consecutive batters as part of 13-strikeout performance in his final start with Binghamton, and also pitched in the Futures Game in July.
It’s possible he could in the mix for a late-season call-up.
“We are paying attention, especially after an outing like last night,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said in early August. “It’s good to see our guys develop and continue to make progress and we are definitely going to need a lot of them and are continuing to pay close attention.”
As Sproat soared, Williams, Gilbert and Clifford all dropped in MLB.com’s rankings.
Williams fell from No. 31 to No. 57, Gilbert went from No. 40 to No. 82 and Clifford had the smallest dip from No. 72 to No. 83.
Both Williams and Gilbert have dealt with injuries this year.
ESPN’s rankings differentiate from MLB.com’s in placing Williams 40 spots ahead of Sproat, while also including the injured Mauricio.
It’s notable that neither outlet includes Acuna, a former top-100 prospect who had produced a disappointing .690 OPS with Syracuse this season.
