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

How Mets' top pitching prospect performed in Triple-A debut

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Logan VanDine | Last updated May 10, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The New York Mets saw one of their top pitching prospects thrive in his Triple-A debut.

On Friday, starting pitcher Nolan McLean dominated in his first Triple-A start for the Syracuse Mets. The righty tossed seven scoreless innings against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, striking out seven batters and allowing just seven hits with no free passes. McLean's strong Triple-A debut comes after he strung together five stellar starts in Double-A for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, going 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA across 26.1 innings and 30 strikeouts, which resulted in him getting promoted to Triple-A on Tuesday.

Nolan McLean tonight, in his debut with Triple-A Syracuse:

7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K pic.twitter.com/ULrjcEyQKY
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 10, 2025

McLean's stellar Triple-A debut should come as no surprise, as the 23-year-old is ranked as the Mets' No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com. He was initially drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft as a two-way player, with the Orioles intending to use him as a starting pitcher. He ultimately did not sign with the team and returned to Oklahoma State for his junior year.

The Amazins' drafted McLean in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft and signed with the club on July 15. The right-hander was sharp during his minor league tenure last year, pitching for both Single-A St. Lucie and in Binghamton. Despite posting a 4-10 record in 25 starts across Single-A and Double-A, McLean still recorded a 3.78 ERA across 109.2 innings of work with 116 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.26.

The Mets are now hoping that McLean can build off his sharp first outing at the Triple-A level and continue to develop with the other talented starting pitchers in New York's farm system, which already has the likes of Blade Tidwell and Brandon Sproat.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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