Brandon Sproat’s second spring training start with the Mets didn’t go as well as his first, but that didn’t dampen the 24-year-old’s spirits after his time in camp with the big league club came to an end.

“Thought I threw the ball pretty well,” Sproat said after tossing two innings in Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros. “Went out there and attacked and threw every pitch I had with conviction and the results are what they are. I was pleased with how I threw the ball.”

On his first big league camp, he added: “It’s been a great experience... couldn’t ask for more.”

Against Houston, the right-hander allowed two runs on four hits (all singles) and a walk with a pair of strikeouts on the night – with two of those hits coming off of soft contact. He threw 35 pitches (23 strikes) and got five called strikes and whiffs on his sinker, three on his fastball, and two on the cutter.

“I thought he was good, threw strikes, stayed on the attack,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Got swing and misses… the sweeper was good. Probably got a little tired that first time he goes for a third time up, but I thought he was good overall.”

In the third, Sproat walked ex-Met Luis Guillorme on six pitches before allowing a smashed single (104.8 mph off the bat) to Cooper Hummel that had the skipper up for a pitching change. But the hard-thrower showed off the skillset that's building excitement, throwing 16 pitches faster than 95 mph and topping out at 97.7 mph.

“It’s tough not to be impressed,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said of Sproat ahead of Thursday’s start.

Now, the club’s top prospect, according to Joe DeMayo’s latest rankings, along with a dozen other players, will head to minor league camp. The change of scenery won’t change much for the righty as he’ll focus on the mental side of his game and take it one day at a time. “When it’s my turn to go out there and pitch,” he said. “Attack every single pitch and whatever happens happens.”

“Be the controller and take ownership with what pitches I want to throw to whatever pitcher it is and to whatever count it might be,” Sproat continued, adding that if he does that and throws each pitch with conviction he “can leave the field that day with my head held high with whatever might happen.”

Sproat has some things to work on as he gets set to begin the campaign at Triple-A Syracuse, where he struggled last year (7.53 ERA in 28.2 innings) after tearing through the Mets’ system (2.45 ERA in 62.1 innings at Double-A, 1.07 ERA in 25.1 innings at High-A).

Stearns added the Mets “want to see him really have significant success at the Triple-A level.”

“I think he wants to prove he can do that as well. And once we see that, we can start talking about when is the right time at the major league level,” he said.

Of course, the situation of making his MLB debut is a when-not-an-if question,

When asked if making his debut was his goal for the year, Sproat said he remains focused on the daily process.

"I'm just going to continue to take it day by day," he said, adding, "Whenever the team and the Mets need me, I'll be ready."

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