Mets’ Prospect Nolan McLean Makes Case for Two-Way Status

The big question is, can Nolan McLean do what so many professional baseball players cannot: hit and pitch at a successful level?

McLean, whom the New York Mets selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, made his 2024 debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones (High-A), tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings while permitting three hits, a walk and striking out two batters Wednesday in a 7-3 home loss to the Asheville Tourist.

Last night, in the batter’s box, the former Oklahoma State product and current designated hitter and pitcher for the Cyclones cracked his first home run of the season in a 7-1 defeat to Asheville.

Last year with the Florida Complex Mets (Rookie Level) and St. Lucie Mets (Single-A), McLean batted .125 with a longball, three RBI, seven bases on ball, and stolen base in 16 at-bats in seven games.

On the mound, the 22-year-old righty, who is rated as New York’s No. 19 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s list, posted a 2.70 ERA in 3.1 frames in two contests with St. Lucie last year.

In college, McLean posted a 3-4 record with a 4.55 ERA with 11 saves and 76 strikeouts in 57.1 innings. As a righty batter, he hit .270 with 36 home runs and 96 RBI in 503 at-bats in 146 contests in three years in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Sure, it is a small sample size in professional baseball. But it seems as if McLean’s more likely long term professional baseball path will be on the bump. He owns a fastball that he fires in the in the upper 90s with a slider that has a high spin rate and has been described as nasty. He has added a cutter, curveball and a sweeper to his pitching arsenal this season.

But the Mets are going to allow McLean to pursue both disciplines for now.

At some point, however, McLean, or New York, may be forced to make a decision on where he will make his living as a pro baseball player.

But if things go accordingly for McLean, it is possible that he will get to do both, and he is confident that he can, drawing inspiration from Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.

“Obviously, [Ohtani is] a special cat when it comes to doing things,” McLean said on NewYorkPost.com, “but I’ve always had confidence in myself, and I believe I can do it as well.”

— Jerry Del Priore