Nolan McLean's Gold Glove Win Is Good Stepping Stone for Mets' Newfound Defensive Commitment

Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean picked up a Gold Glove Award in his first full season as a big leaguer.

Nolan McLean became the first Met in 12 years to take home a Gold Glove Award. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Mets didn't reach their collective goal in 2026, but one of their key players did rack up a nice piece of hardware in awards season. Starting pitcher Nolan McLean won the National League's Gold Glove Award for pitchers, becoming the first Met to win a Gold Glove since outfielder Juan Lagares in 2014.

Nolan is Golden! 🌟

Nolan McLean has won the Gold Glove for National League Pitchers! 👏 pic.twitter.com/mPCqcPH6DP

— New York Mets (@Mets) November 2, 2026

The Mets saw McLean make more history as the first rookie pitcher ever to win a Gold Glove. McLean beat out Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Michael McGreevy of the St. Louis Cardinals to claim the honors.

Nolan McLean makes history! 🌟

The @Mets' former two-way player becomes the first rookie pitcher in @MLB history to win a Gold Glove. pic.twitter.com/p1CZaRA1aj

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 2, 2026

Considering the mantra of Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns entering the season was "run prevention", it is quite fitting that the Mets had a pitcher earn a Gold Glove. The Mets also saw Luis Torrens and Carson Benge finish as finalists at their positions, but they lost out to the Arizona Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno and Corbin Carroll.

The Mets' commitment to improved defense should pay dividends in the long run

There was a long time when the Mets viewed defense as an additive quality for a player as opposed to a primary asset to build around. Sandy Alderson's tenure, in particular, saw the Mets frequently shoehorn players into suboptimal positions to increase the lineup's production, such as starting Wilmer Flores at shortstop and using a committee of center fielders (including Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes) who offered more offensive potential than Lagares.

Stearns, whose blueprint helped the Brewers win a World Series, has always placed a premium on more athletic players who can defend their positions. Seeing Benge and A.J. Ewing become plus defenders at their positions was a start, and the Mets have a slew of young infielders who could join that party soon, including Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit, and Emilien Pitre.

That commitment to defense could also lead the Mets to players who could bolster that side of the ball, including Ty France and Tyrone Taylor, and not one-dimensional slugging types.

Furthermore, playing better team defense also has significant benefits for the Mets' pitching staff, which could theoretically get deeper into games, especially if their fielders make more plays behind them to limit their early pitch counts.

The new defensive gains the Mets are making could be critical, as Francisco Lindor has seen a bit of a dip in the field over the past two years. While there is little chance Lindor moves off shortstop anytime soon, the Mets could offset defensive regression from Lindor with more gains from other players on the roster.

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