This Former Two-Way Player Impressed in his Debut

In 2023, the New York Mets drafted Nolan McLean, a two-way player out of Oklahoma State. The Mets initially allowed McLean to continue as a two-way player until he reached Double-A in the middle of last season. McLean committed to only pitching, and it's benefited him significantly. In 21 games this season between Double-A and Triple-A, he's posted a 2.45 ERA (Earned Run Average) while ascending to the #37 ranked prospect in all of baseball.

Photo Courtesy of Rising Apple

On August 16th, the Mets called up McLean to make his major league debut against the Mariners, and he didn't disappoint. He pitched 5.1 innings of shutout ball while striking out eight batters, earning his first major league win. He did it with a six-pitch mix mainly consisting of his sweeper, sinker, and curveball. His sweeper had 2.3 inches of horizontal break compared to the average, and his curveball had an astonishing 9.7 inches more vertical drop than the average. The sinker also had 4.7 more inches of vertical drop than the average sinker. His overall Stuff+, which takes into account pitch velocity and movement compared to the average, which is 100, was graded at 112, which is 12% better than the average.

Nolan McLean is going to continue to pitch in the rotation for the time being and should be an impactful piece for a team that is trying to hold its place in the playoff race.

• https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/nolan-mclean-690997?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb

• https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects

• https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/mets/nolan-mclean-690997