Former Pace Patriot and Florida Gator Brandon Sproat drafted by NY Mets in 2022 MLB Draft

After becoming a seventh-round draft pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, pitcher Brandon Sproat, freshly graduated from Pace High School, chose to bet on himself.

Instead of signing with his drafted team, the Texas Rangers, Sproat chose to fulfill his commitment to the University of Florida and build his stock up through the college ranks.

Three years later, it's paid off.

With the 90th pick in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Sproat has been selected by the New York Mets.

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That moves him up 115 spots from his original draft selection of 205th overall in 2019. It also moves his slot value up significantly. At No. 205 it's $233,400 whereas his new position at No. 90 brings him up to $691,000.

This comes after a sophomore campaign with the Gators where Sproat was the team's featured pitcher. Over 117.1 innings this spring, the 6-foot-3 right-hander sported a 9-4 record with a 3.41 ERA. He fanned 82 batters while walking 33, showing massive potential in improving upon his 2021 season where he struck out 18 and walked 15.

As a result, Sproat soared up draft boards as his name become affiliated with many awards.

The newest Met was named to the 2022 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team and was once named 2022 SEC Pitcher of the Week. In turn he was ranked the No. 98 Overall 2022 MLB Draft Prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 27 Collegiate 2022 MLB Draft Prospect by D1Baseball.

His body of work this year has shown he has the makings of a major league starter. Longevity and timely pitching have been two aspects of his pitching tool that stood out as the season got later.

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He went 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA and .218 opponent batting average in his last six starts of the season while totaling nine quality starts including five in a row to conclude the year.

Sproat's selection makes him the fourth-highest drafted Pace alumni out of 16 total, behind former MLB all-star Addison Russell, Drew Cumberland and newly-selected Walter Ford, who was taken in the second round on Sunday by the Seattle Mariners.

Lucas Semb can be reached at Lsemb@pensacol.gannett.com or 850-281-7414. Follow him on Twitter at @Lucas_Semb for stories and various Pensacola area score updates.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Former Pace Patriot and UF Gator Brandon Sproat joins NY Mets in draft