New York Mets‘ rookie Nolan McLean has had quite the story getting to the MLB. After making a name for himself in high school, he committed to Oklahoma State University to play both baseball and football. 

He intended to play quarterback but would end up redshirting his freshman year. After that, he decided it would be in his best interest to focus only on baseball. 

At OSU, the hard-throwing righty would play the outfield, third base, and be used as a DH, and he had great talent on the mound. He would go on to be selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022 MLB Draft, but turned them down, returning to OSU. A year later, he would then be selected by the Mets in the third round, where he would eventually sign. 

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Mets’ top pitching prospect tagged as one player to pay attention to this spring 

Needing some pitching reinforcements last season, the Mets decided to call up their prized possession in August. He would go on to make eight starts, compiling a 5-1 record with 57 strikeouts on 48 innings of work. 

He was excellent in his debut, and MLB.com’s David Adler highlights him on a list of “must-watch pitchers” this spring. 

“McLean is now the top pitching prospect in baseball, and MLB’s No. 6 prospect overall, after his sensational big league debut down the stretch last season. We only got eight starts of McLean in 2025, and we’re ready for a lot more. He’s a future ace. Everything he throws is nasty, from his heater to his curveball and sweeper to his changeup.”

McLean has everything to be an ace for this staff sooner rather than later. He will be someone that fans will want to pay attention to. 

Luckily for fans, they will get to see him in action for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He looks to be the No. 5 starter for this stacked club, which could spell disaster for the teams standing in their way. 

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