Mets' top prospect continues to shine in Triple-A

Nolan McLean is gaining attention with his dominance, including back-to-back starts with double-digit strikeouts.

Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

New York Mets pitching prospect Nolan McLean is carrying over his early-season success with Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse.

In his most recent start on Wednesday, the 23-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out ten. The Mets' 2023 third-round pick has now recorded back-to-back outings with double-digit strikeouts.

While McLean has kicked things into a new gear in July, he has been dominant all season. Across sixteen starts between Double-A and Triple-A, he sports an impressive 2.17 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts, while holding opposing hitters to a .204 batting average. Even in the Triple-A International League, which is regarded by many as a hitter-friendly league, McLean is excelling against a surplus of top prospects and players with major league experience.

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Nolan McLean has been lights out all season long in the Mets' minor league system 🔥

He struck out 10 last night in six scoreless innings to lower his Triple-A Syracuse ERA to 2.52 pic.twitter.com/4xfMDOcrbO

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 10, 2025

Currently ranked as the Mets' No. 4 prospect and the No. 76 overall prospect according to MLB.com, McLean posted a 3.78 ERA over 25 starts in 2024 across High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. He's only continued to ascend from there.

The Oklahoma State product appears to be guaranteeing himself a spot in the Mets' starting rotation within the next year. However, while there has been consideration about promoting McLean to fill a void in an injury-riddled rotation, president of baseball operations David Stearns is hesitant to call up a still-developing prospect under these circumstances.

"My preference is to not bring up a top prospect for a spot start," Stearns said. "I also understand this is a unique circumstance and I can't take anything off the table right now, but my preference would be to figure out a way to do it without doing that."

𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: David Stearns said he would rather not bring up a top prospect (McLean/Sproat/Tong) for a “spot start.”

Do you agree or disagree? pic.twitter.com/fg7ntyGPB4

— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) July 3, 2025

The Mets have leaned on their depth throughout their organization, and it has emerged as one of their biggest strengths. That being said, that depth is expected to be a major talking point in the coming weeks with the trade deadline approaching and the Mets projected to be aggressive buyers.

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McLean's continued dominance gives the Mets a promising starter with upside, but also a potential trade chip should the Mets look to upgrade their roster for a playoff push. However, his rapid development and long-term upside are difficult to deny, making it likely the Mets will want to hold onto him.

While nothing is certain about what the Mets will do with their prospects at the deadline, the Mets have a plethora of exciting young pitchers in their farm system eager to contribute at the big-league level, with McLean at the top of that list.