Round 1: Former Gators both get bragging rights

As Sterlin Thompson rounded the bases after smacking a seventh-inning homer off Brandon Sproat, the highly touted right-hander gave his former Gators teammate a little nod.

Sproat and Thompson played together at the University of Florida from 2021-22 before the Rockies selected Thompson 31st overall in the 2022 Draft and Sproat signed as a second-round pick with the Mets a year later. On campus, they faced each other often in intrasquad games. But Thursday marked the first time they met on the field as opponents in pro ball, and given how both stars are rising, it probably won’t be the last.

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Thompson, who added a second homer off right-hander Carlos Guzman in the ninth. “It was cool to see him. It was a cool moment for both of us.”

MLB Pipeline’s No. 97 overall prospect, Sproat wound up with the last laugh in Double-A Binghamton’s 7-3 win over Hartford at Dunkin' Park. Sproat struck out the Rockies' No. 6 prospect on five pitches in their first meeting in the second inning, and got his former teammate to bounce into a double play in the fourth.

“He was throwing 99-100 [mph] the first inning, and the second pitch I got was a 90 mph changeup with some sink to it,” Thompson said. “Then he came back with the heater and ended me on the slider. I was always on the heater, and I missed it the first two at-bats. The third at-bat, he kept throwing the heater. Kept going after it. I respected him. He came after me. He didn’t keep throwing the slider and changeup. Then in the 1-2 count, he came back with the heater and I got one off him.”

Other than Thompson's first solo shot of the night, the 23-year-old righty ran into little trouble across 6⅔ innings of two-run ball, racking up nine strikeouts en route to his fourth win in his first eight Double-A starts. It extended an impressive streak of strong outings for Sproat, who has impressed mightily in his first year of pro ball. The Mets’ No. 6 prospect improved to 6-1 with a 1.76 ERA over his first 14 pro outings.

“I was really impressed with his ability to locate the two-seam, the change-up and the backfoot slider in the first at-bat,” Thompson said. “He’s got a great four-pitch mix and he’s a really good pitcher, and he was on tonight with all his pitches. His pitchability is really good and he always has 99 in his back pocket. But he doesn’t always have to throw his fastball.”

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It ended up being a night to remember for both former Gators. Thompson’s first multihomer game of the season was the third of his career, continuing a productive stretch for the 23-year-old midway through his first full season at Double-A. After homering only three times in his first 59 games of 2024, Thompson has five in his past nine contests. He’s hitting .234 with eight homers and a .696 OPS overall through 68 games.

“Every night you’ve got a very good, talented arm and you have to have a plan and an approach,” Thompson said. “There are no easy nights at Double-A. You’re really one call away from The Show, and the talent is really good here. I’ve made some adjustments after facing some adversity early in the season. I’m starting to get comfortable.”