Today, we begin a new series over at Mets Minors in conjunction with the 2023 MLB Draft. Now that more players have been added to the Mets organization, we wanted to give you more information on those players from people who have coached them throughout their prep school and/or college careers.

We begin the series today with the Mets’ second round pick (Pick 56), Florida right-hander Brandon Sproat. For more information on Sproat, I spoke with University of Florida pitching coach David Kopp, who has coached Sproat each of the past two seasons.

During the interview, we talked about the improvements Brandon has made with the changeup, how his mechanics are, and which start fans should look back on as the start that best exemplifies who Sproat is as a pitcher.

Ricky: What are the Mets getting in Brandon as a player and person?

David: “Right now, I spent two years with Brandon. Right now, the Mets are getting an extremely mature, seasoned pitcher. This is the guy that has toed the rubber an extremely large amount of times in the SEC, week in and week out in the postseason. You are going to get a guy that really knows himself and has been through a really tough SEC schedule, and has had successes and failures. You are going to see a guy that is very mature in his operation.”

R: What is the biggest improvement he made?

D: “The biggest improvement since I’ve been with him is probably the mental side of the game. He’s always been extremely talented; he has always had really good stuff. I think that the biggest thing for Brandon is he stopped facing himself and he started competing against the other team and whoever was in the box. That takes a while to do that because young guys kind of get in their own way and get frustrated with the process.”

“Over time, this year and last year, he has grown tremendously on the mental side. Physically and stuff-wise, his changeup has always been a good pitch. But, this year, it was a great pitch. It is a pitch he can throw to both sides of the plate, left-handers and right-handers. He can throw it in any count, and it allows him to open up the rest of his pitch profile. When he is throwing a changeup to both sides righties and lefties, it keeps the hitters often.” 

R: If I had to turn on one game that best exemplifies Brandon as a pitcher, what game would that be? 

D: “I would go watch the first SEC game that we played this year against Alabama. He threw a complete game, and his changeup was good. All his stuff was really good. Your first SEC series, a lot of emotion going on, and I want to say it was his first and only complete game at Florida.”

R: How would you best describe his pitch arsenal? 

D: “It’s All-Star caliber stuff. You are going to see a fastball that’s up to 100. You’ve got a slider, a true 12-6 curve, and a plus-plus change.”

R: How much of the analytics do you go into with Brandon? 

D: “He’s not big into metrics and analytics. He will watch a video, and we can give him some information here and there. But, he is much more into knowing himself, like I know what’s working for me. If it stops working for me, I have to make an adjustment in the game, and I’m going to watch the hitter’s swings. I’m going to watch the game in front of me, and I’m going to pitch to the game in front of me….I would say he’s more into knowing his strengths and watching the game in front of him and making adjustments according to what the team facing him is currently doing.”

R: How much did pitching in Omaha and the CWS will benefit him moving up?

D: “I think it’s just the SEC in general. Pitching in Omaha is like the cherry on top, but the foundation of his experience is built through all of the starts in this conference. It’s the toughest conference in the country. The ability for him, I think he made 19 starts this year, 12 the year before. Before I got here, he also pitched out of the bullpen. He has experience in different roles, but the ability for him to take the ball every Friday night against the number one starter in our league and do it at home and on the road, I think that’s the foundation of his experience going forward?

R: How would you describe Brandon from a mechanical perspective? 

D: “It’s a clean delivery. He’s a physical guy, super strong. His lower half is really strong. His delivery is clean, and it’s a lower-effort delivery. It’s an efficient delivery, he’s an efficient mover, he’s extremely athletic. He’s probably one of the top guys that we have as far as PFP. His pickoff move is great. He’s quick to the plate, he knows how to hold runners. It’s the full package that you are getting here.”

Thank you to coach Kopp for talking to us!