Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Spring Training-Washington Nationals at New York Mets
(Queens, NY) – Shohei Ohtani is a one-in-a-generation type player.
He’s been compared to Babe Ruth – the legend who starred as a pitcher in Boston before shining with the Yankees. Ohtani may be rehabbing an elbow injury right now that’s keeping him off the mound, but he’s normally a front-end starting pitcher to go along with his MVP-level bat on offense.
So, naturally MLB clubs are scouting around and trying to find the “next Ohtani.” And the New York Mets are allowing themselves to dream and hope they might have found that guy – not in Japan – but rather in North Carolina, by way of Oklahoma State University. Nolan McLean is currently on the Brooklyn Cyclones roster.
He’s trying to do the two-way player thing. The 22-year-old just hit his third home run of the season – a 103.5 mph off-the-bat bomb – and he’s notched 8 extra base hits, with 5 doubles. It’s not all rosy for McLean of course. He’s just 9-for-37 overall entering play on Thursday, with 20 strikeouts.
What about his mound work? The pitcher-slugger (for now anyway) has posted a 3.86 ERA with 14 Ks, 6 walks, and 4 HBP across 14 innings.
Originally a 3rd round pick out of OSU, McLean was ranked as the Mets’ 22nd overall prospect by SNY insider Joe DeMayo at the start of the year. At the time DeMayo said:
“The Mets will send (McLean) out as a starter and try to build up his innings and arsenal. Most expect him to be a late-inning reliever long-term, and a possible closer with a fastball up to 98 mph and a wipeout slider. He has light-tower-power, with massive swing-and-miss issues that need to be trimmed down to continue as a hitter in pro ball.”
That said, many prognosticators have said it’s highly unlikely that McLean will continue as a two-way player long term.
That’s because pitching prospects so often participate in highly specialized training and practices that leave little room for a focus on one’s swing, timing, or learning to face advanced breaking balls. But it’s fun to imagine the possibility – for now.
