Minor League Mondays: Nolan McLean Is Turning Heads At Binghamton

Pitching is the name of the game for the New York Mets as their best chance at long-term success comes from developing their own starting pitchers. While Brandon Sproat may be the closest to the major leagues, he isn't the best-performing pitching prospect the Mets have in the early going. That distinction goes to Nolan McLean, who is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Mets' pitching prospect Nolan McLean is turning heads for AA Binghamton.

The Mets took McLean in the third round of the 2023 draft out of Oklahoma State, where he was a two-way player. After letting McLean try going both ways as a professional, he and the team decided around Memorial Day of 2024 that McLean would work exclusively as a pitcher going forward. The move has led to strong results for McLean on the hill as he finished the 2024 campaign with a 3.78 ERA in 25 starts between High-A Brooklyn and AA Binghamton. The Mets opted to have McLean repeat the level to start 2025 and he has dominated early on, going 2-1 with a 1.77 ERA in his first four starts, posting a 26:10 strikeout to walk ratio in 20.1 innings pitched.

Opponents are batting just .208 against McLean, who is currently rated as the Mets' fifth-best prospect according to MLB.com. McLean works with a five-pitch mix that includes a fastball that can sit between 94-96 miles per hour while touching 98, with his lethal slider grading at a 70 on the 20-80 scale scouts use to rate players. A good cutter is McLean's third best offering while a curveball and changeup can be used to round out his arsenal and give hitters something else to think about.

The big thing to watch with McLean is his command, as he walked 42 batters in 109.2 innings last season and has already issued 10 free passes in 20.1 innings this season. It is important to remember that this is the first time McLean has entered a season working exclusively as a pitcher, so more time to refine his craft should leave to improved control as the year progresses. While McLean is behind both Sproat and Blade Tidwell in terms of proximity to the majors, he could force his way up to AAA Syracuse if he continues to post strong results for the Rumble Ponies. The Mets' big league rotation is full at the moment but there could be an opportunity to earn his way to the bigs as soon as next season if he can take a leap forward with Binghamton and eventually Syracuse. It's not inconceivable that the Mets' rotation to enter the 2027 season could feature a grouping of Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Sproat, McLean and David Peterson as its top five starters. With Christian Scott on the mend following Tommy John surgery and the potential of other prospects like Tidwell and Jonah Tong to continue their progression, the Mets seem well set up to have a surplus of pitching options in the near future.