Florida Gators pitcher Brandon Sproat selected by New York Mets in 2023 MLB Draft
Florida Gators right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat was selected with the No. 56 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. It’s particularly interesting because Sproat was drafted by the Mets last season before electing to return for his senior season.
Because of this, Sproat actually had to okay New York to draft him again per MLB rules, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan revealed via the network’s draft broadcast.
Brandon Sproat played four seasons at Florida and began to be a consistent starter in the 2022 season. He even started a game in the College World Series Final. As a senior, he started 19 games and had an 8-3 record with a 4.66 ERA. He pitched 106.1 innings and had 134 strikeouts on the season.
“Sproat looks the part with his 6-foot-3 frame and has a potential four-pitch mix to use to get hitters out. He’s flirted with triple digits in the past — his fastball averaged close to 96 mph in 2022 and he was once again in the 94-98 mph range this fall. He does have distinct breaking pitches, with a mid-80s slider a potential true out pitch that misses a ton of bats and a slower get-me-over type of curve. He has feel for a mid-80s changeup that he doesn’t throw as much, but it could be a fourth at least average pitch,” MLB.com wrote.
“The right-hander made strides in finding the strike zone last year and showed solid command in fall ball, though his fastball can be too straight at times and he gets hit more than he should given his stuff. Another inconsistent turn in the Gators weekend rotation has once again made it difficult to figure out where he belongs on a Draft board.”
More on the 2023 MLB Draft
The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.
This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.
While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.
Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.
In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.
Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players will have until August 1 to sign a contract.