It isn’t often that the sky falls for a team with a nearly 80% chance of making the playoffs, but after a 95-minute delay for thunderstorms, the New York Mets suffered their sixth “worst loss of the season” of the second half.
New York gave up nine runs in the fourth inning, blowing a 6-0 lead and embarrassing themselves in the process. David Peterson, seemingly the only starter capable of pitching into the sixth inning during the team’s recent slide, collapsed, leaving a tired bullpen even further behind the eight ball.
The Mets’ starting pitching has struggled in recent weeks, and they recently announced that top pitching prospect Nolan McLean will be their next swing at fixing the issue.
Montas out, McLean in
McLean will make his debut in front of the Flushing faithful on Saturday, facing off against the red-hot Seattle Mariners. It’s no small task for the rookie, nor is it fair.
New York will be careful with McLean, but the fanbase won’t. As the Philadelphia Phillies close in on a division title and the Mets’ frustration mounts, he’ll be expected to shove and showcase the same skills that made him a consensus top-50 prospect this summer.
McLean offers a ready-made sweeper and an adequate set of fastballs to get big-league hitters out, making him an option to come out of the bullpen in October. It’s the depth of his arsenal that suggests New York can get a bigger workload out of him.
In Baseball Prospectus’s list of the sport’s top prospects, McLean ranked 34th — the sixth-best pitcher.
“McLean’s most-used pitch is perhaps the nastiest sweeper in the entire minors, averaging over 15 inches of horizontal movement with slight negative vert and monster spin,” the BP staff wrote. “It’s a devastating pitch and will likely remain his bread and butter his entire career. But he’s also up to a six pitch guy, throwing distinct four-seams and sinkers in the mid-90s, as well as distinct curve, slider, and splitter shapes.”
After dominating Double-A for five starts, McLean found success at Triple-A Syracuse, posting a 2.78 ERA and striking out 10 batters per nine innings.
MORE: Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s slump could reveal harsh truth
McLean leads with his sweeper, throwing it more often than any other pitch. His curve and slider offer him options against left-handed hitters, along with a changeup that works off both fastballs. He’ll need to keep the walks in check, but there’s enough stuff to compete in the zone against the Mariners.
Still, McLean profiles as a mid-rotation starter. There’s additional upside, particularly if his fastball shape can improve, but he isn’t a panacea for a team mired in another ugly stretch. Drafted as a two-way player, McLean has the runway to grow into a promising piece of the Mets’ rotation for years to come. That might not show up on Saturday.
McLean is more than a replacement for Frankie Montas’s starts and a minor piece in a stumbling team’s playoff push. However, if he can provide an instant impact, a good first impression might buy him some breathing room as he gets his feet wet at the highest level.
MORE METS NEWS
