The Mets might have the next Shohei Ohtani in their farm system

When Shohei Ohtani first arrived in America, he dazzled pretty much everyone – fans, journalists and even MLB personnel. Called the modern day Babe Ruth, he quickly established himself as a star both at the plate and on the mound.

While Ohtani is a unicorn when it comes to two-way players, they used to be much more common. Aside from Ruth, there have been several others over the last century and a half. Plus, even if they don’t pull double-duty as a regular hitter, there have been many pitchers who found success in the batter’s box.

In fact, many hurlers were fantastic hitters in high school or college before eventually transitioning full-time to pitching. Currently, the Mets have a player in their farm system who fits that bill and he may end up following in Ohtani’s footsteps.

After posting ridiculous numbers in high school, Nolan McLean drew the attention of MLB scouts. In 53 games, he batted .381 with an on-base percentage of .589. On the mound, he posted a 2.05 ERA and had 88 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings. (McLean also excelled on the gridiron, throwing for over 6,800 yards and 60 touchdowns in three seasons.)

Even though Major League teams were interested in him, McLean decided to honor the commitment he had made to Oklahoma State University. While he hoped to play football for the school, he eventually shifted his focus to baseball. During his second season with the Cowboys, McLean batted .285 with 16 doubles and 19 home runs while mostly playing third base. On the mound, he struck out 39 in 25 1/3 innings and put up an ERA of 4.97 ERA.

The Baltimore Orioles decided to draft McLean as a pitcher, taking him with the 81st pick in 2022. The team saw something with his post-draft physical they didn’t like, though, so he never signed and instead went back to OSU. After another solid season, the Mets came calling, selecting him 91st in the 2023 draft. While they designated him as a third baseman, he has been hitting and pitching in the minors.

McLean’s minor-league numbers in the early going aren’t great, but he has shown plenty of raw power at the plate. Perhaps even more encouraging is his repertoire of pitches, which includes a curve, slider and cutter. He regularly throws in the mid-to-upper-90s, with his fastball topping out at 98 MPH.

It’s clear that McLean is a project who probably won’t be ready for prime time for a while. But, with the fanfare brought by Ohtani (not to mention the massive payday he recently got), it may not be long before two-way players aren’t so rare anymore.