The New York Mets made it all the way to the National League Divisional Series, using every trick in the book, along with a solid crop of starting pitching and a strong offense led by Francisco Lindor and a breakout from Mark Vientos. The Mets’ farm system is incredibly strong, thanks to major improvements in player development and scouting since Steve Cohen took over and handed the reins to David Stearns. They’re optimizing pitching and drafting better than ever before. The farm system is headlined by Brandon Sproat, who’s just a fastball tweak away from being in the conversation as one of the top two or three pitching prospects. The Mets have also heavily invested in the international free agent market, seemingly landing every top or near-top catching prospect, as seen with Daiverson Gutierrez and Yovanny Rodriguez. Their draft is widely considered one of the best in years, after a history of "LOLmets" drafts. Things are looking bright both in the present and the future for the New York Mets.
About Our Top 20 Lists
Prospects Live, led by its evaluating team & Director of Scouting Rhys White, is proud to begin rolling out its annual offseason system reports. The team combines industry feedback, our live looks, film, and available data to compile each org. We believe this effort has enabled us to present you, the reader, with our best possible view of the prospects in the organization.
We have constructed this list using the Overall Future Potential (OFP) scale. There is no perfect equation for ranking prospects or assigning value to them, but we believe this method is the best possible approach. Every prospect on this list has been graded based on the tried and true 20-80 scouting scale. An 80 is the highest tool and OFP grade on the scale, reserved for MVP-caliber players or tools. Conversely, a 20 is reserved for non-prospects (NPs). A 50 OFP falls in the middle, indicating our evaluators deem this player a future average major league player. Below the 50 OFP tier are the 45s and 40s, comprising a large majority of players on each list. These are specific-role players, such as platoon hitters, utility players, or low-leverage relievers. Above the 50 OFP tier are the 55s and 60s. A 55 represents a future above-average player, and a 60 OFP designation is reserved for future All-Star caliber players.
In addition to the tool grades and OFP, we will also include a 'Risk' associated with each prospect. We use this to better communicate to you, the reader, whether a grade is more aggressive or conservative in nature. The evaluation team has worked hard to apply both the grades and risk components to better illustrate how each individual prospect stacks up in their respective system and in the baseball ecosystem.
Below you'll find the top 5 players in the system with a full report for the #1 prospect in the system. The full rankings and scouting reports on all top 20 prospects per team will be available on our Patreon at the 55-tier ($5) as we publish them. We’ll also have additional content on Patreon for each team: Honorable Mentions, Top 10 players 25 years and under, and Team MLB Dynasty Rankings.
Top 5 Team Rank and Scouting Report for #1 System Prospect Below
1. Brandon Sproat, RHP
DOB: 9/17/2000, HT: 6-3, WT: 215, H/T: R/R, Acquired: 2023, Round 2 ($1,447,500)
Highest Level: AAA, ETA: 2025
OFP: 55
FB: 50, CT: 45, SL: 50, CB: 40, CH: 60
Risk: High
Scouting Report:
The Mets, since the arrival of David Stearns and much of the old Brewers front office, have transformed into a pitching factory, developing and optimizing arms in ways their fans haven't seen before. Their determination to make Brandon Sproat a part of this apparatus was evident, drafting him in back-to-back years. It's easy to see why—his sub-6-foot release point on most pitches, combined with a higher three-quarters arm slot, makes him one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the minors. While Sproat's fastball boasts plus-plus velocity, it has a suboptimal shape. He managed to get by with it at lower levels, but upper-minor hitters have been able to do damage due to its straightness or its "dead-zone" characteristics. Improving its shape could unlock more from his arsenal. His cutter, which plays off the fastball, is below average and suffers from the fastball's lack of movement. However, his slider has solid horizontal break and could be used more effectively. Sproat's curveball is a true hammer with plenty of break, making it a weapon down in the zone or early in counts. But the star of his repertoire is the changeup, which features tremendous fading action and is so effective that he confidently uses it against same-handed hitters. Everything but the fastball and cutter looks like it came straight from a pitching lab. If he can improve the shape of his fastball, Sproat has the potential to be a 60 OFP arm. As it stands, the fastball limits him to more of a 55 OFP profile. - Rhys White
Fantasy Spin:
Sproat has the makings of a mid-rotation arm, but the development of his high-octane fastball will ultimately have the final say in whether he reaches that upside or ends up in the back of the rotation. Either way, this is a big-league arm that we could see in the majors before the end of 2025. Sproat is a borderline top-50 prospect, and with the way the Mets have been developing arms lately, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them improve his fastball and help him rise in the prospect ranks even further before he makes his big league debut. - Kyle Sonntag