A few months ago, with the Mets’ pitching staff in a state of flux and the team desperately trying to hang on in the NL Wild Card race, David Stearns faced a line of questioning about the organization’s top pitching prospect, right-hander Brandon Sproat. The Mets president of baseball operations made it clear that fans would not be seeing Sproat in the Citi Field bullpen in September. However, he didn’t say anything about the press conference room. Sproat was invited to Citi Field on Friday to receive his organizational Pitcher of the Year award.  The 2023 second-round draft pick was honored on the field prior to the Mets’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies along with the other Player Development Award winners, outfielder Nick Morabito (Player of the Year), outfielder Edward Lantigua (DSL Player of the Year), right-hander Jose Guevara (DSL Pitcher of the Year), coordinator of minor league operations Ches Goodman (Minor League Staff Member of the Year) and manager of Latin America baseball systems Anthony Sambois, (Dominican Academy Staff Member of the Year). “Brandon doesn’t know about this, but a couple press conferences ago, when I was here, the press conference pretty much revolved around you,” Stearns said. “There were so many questions about you that I ultimately have to steer it in another direction.” The Mets president of baseball operations successfully managed to do so back in August, but now, he’s more than happy to talk about Sproat’s rise through the system. The 24-year-old University of Florida product went from High-A, to Double-A to Triple-A in his first professional season, compiling a 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA over 24 games over all three levels. “It’s been a ton of fun and it’s been a roller coaster,” Sproat said. “Of the different things I’ve learned at each level, I think my favorite thing [has been] meeting every different guy at each level, but especially Triple-A. Talking to the older guys, picking their brain, kind of seeing what they went through and the adversity that they go through, how they how they go about it, and then the Triple-A coaches. I think this year has been a great year for me and I couldn’t be more pleased with myself.” The hard-throwing right-hander added to his deep arsenal this year by adding a sweeper. He struck out hitters at an impressive rate with Double-A Binghamton (11.1 per nine innings) and for the most part, showcased good control. However, he was challenged in different ways after his Triple-A promotion. Sproat posted a 7.53 ERA in seven Triple-A starts, walking 3.5 batters per nine innings. He had to face hitters with more varied approaches and more advanced approaches. “I think some older guys in Double-A, you’ve only got to worry about, maybe two, maybe three different approaches,” Sproat said. “But in Triple-A, you know, you’ve got nine different approaches that you’ve got to not worry about, but kind of mix and match and try to put a puzzle together. Then you’re facing veterans that have been in the show, and it’s fun to pitch against them.” Stearns sees some value in Sproat’s struggles to adjust to facing a higher level of hitters. “The value is moving past the struggles,” Stearns said. “The value is seeing that adversity, then fighting through that adversity and understanding that it’s a part of this game — that failure is a part of this game and we have to move past it, overcome it, and then get back to performing at the level that we know we can perform.” Sproat is of the same mindset, due in large part to sports psychologist Don Carman. A former left-hander who played for the Phillies, Reds and Rangers, Sproat has worked with Carman since college. He says Carman has been a “blessing” to him, helping equip him with the mental tools to succeed at a high level. “The biggest thing that he’s helped me with is staying on the attack,” Sproat said. “If I can control my mind and give myself clarity to do what I do — pitching aggressively and being the competitor that I am — then that takes away from the thought of worrying about results.” Stearns will face plenty more questions about Sproat and the other pitchers in the Mets’ farm system in the coming years as the club tries to build around homegrown arms. “If you look at any level of our system right now, we feel like we’ve got really quality arms, and that’s exciting,” Stearns said. “That, I think, is the mark of a healthy system. It’s not just pockets, it’s up and down the group. You can walk into any one of our clubhouses and any affiliate, look around and see some really talented arms. “Hopefully, that means that we’re going to see some of those guys here in New York pretty soon.”