Mets 2025 Prospects: No. 6 Nolan McLean
No. 6: Nolan McLean, RHP
B/T: R/R Age: 23 (7/24/2001)
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 214 lbs
Acquired: Third round of 2023 Draft from Oklahoma State University
ETA: 2025 Previous rank: 23
2024 Stats: Double-A Binghamton: 2-8, 4.19 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 81.2 IP, 80 SO, 32 BB, 10 HR, 18 GS
Single-A Brooklyn: 2-2, 2.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28 IP, 36 SO, 10 BB, 0 HR, 7 GS
Nolan McLean, Photo by Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Overview
Nolan McLean is a versatile, talented athlete. A two-sport baseball/football star in high school, he went to Oklahoma State intending to pitch and hit for the baseball team and play quarterback for the football team. He made it as a walk-on quarterback for the Cowboys, but didn’t appear in any games and gave up football after a year to focus on baseball.
He excelled on the diamond, hitting 36 homers and posting a .957 OPS over three seasons. Here is a video of McLean striking out a batter at Oklahoma State, where he went 1-2 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 2023. He fanned 34 and walked 17 in 30 innings pitched.
The Mets have selected two-way player Nolan McLean with the No. 91.
Up to 98 with his fastball, and had a .957 OPS at Oklahoma State. 21 year-old with a 70 grade arm and 60 grade power.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 10, 2023
The Mets drafted McLean as a two-way player in 2023, but he gave up hitting last year after a rough go of it at the plate. (He struck out 74 times in 143 plate appearances and hit .192.) With his focus now fully on pitching, the hope is he can make major strides in his development. MLB Pipeline estimates his Queens arrival for this season despite him pitching to a 4.19 ERA in 18 starts at Double-A Binghamton last year.
“He held his velocity well in Year 1, averaging 94-96 mph while topping out at 98, much as he did in college,” a Baseball Savant scouting report read. “There is some flat approach out of his low release. The real monster is his 84-87 mph sweeping slider – a pitch with elite spin above 3,000 rpm and horizontal movement upwards of 20 inches.
“McLean could use the pitch well running away from righties or backfooting it to lefties. His low-90s cutter bridged the gap between the two offerings, and he also mixed in an upper-80s changeup and an occasional upper-70s curveball for a more complete arsenal.”
2025 Outlook
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns didn’t single out McLean, but talked about the Mets’ effort to bring minor league pitchers along in a news conference earlier this month. His comments seem relevant to the 23-year-old right-hander expected to start at Binghamton.
“I think we have a lot of people here who let’s say over the last three years, four years, have worked really hard to get our pitching development into a place where we can compete with some of the top pitching development teams in baseball,” he said.
“And I think we’re getting to that point. And I think we’re beginning to see this wave of prospects get to the upper levels of the minor leagues and now the next step is we have to successfully transition them to the big leagues. That’s the next test in our overarching developmental philosophies. I think we’ll be able to do that and this year will be a good testing ground for us.”
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