Mets promote pitcher/hitter prospect Nolan McLean to Double-A
Nolan McLean of the Mets throws a warm-up pitch prior to the top of the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Nationals at Clover Park on March 15 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Getty Images/Christopher Pasatieri
MIAMI — The Mets’ most unusual prospect is one step closer to the majors.
They promoted Nolan McLean, pitcher and hitter, to Double-A Binghamton on Sunday afternoon, a source said.
McLean, 22, did well on both sides of the ball in a month and a half with High-A Brooklyn.
On the mound, he had a 2.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in seven starts, getting the ball about once a week. He struck out 36 and walked 10 in 28 innings.
At the plate, McLean batted .224 with a .849 OPS, solidly above-average production in that league. He totaled 12 extra-base hits (five homers) and 13 RBIs in 25 games.
The Mets selected McLean in the third round of the draft last year, so him advancing to the upper minors already is a feat — even more so with his difficult-to-balance skill set and workload.
He had been a two-way player at Oklahoma State, and the sides agreed in their pre-draft conversations that McLean could give it a go in the pros, too. In spring training, team officials viewed McLean as more advanced as a pitcher, an assessment that has held up so far.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
