New York Mets third baseman Marcus Semien Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Marcus Semien Shares Telling Nolan McLean Opinion

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 5:00 PM ET

If the New York Mets are to reach their ceiling and advance as far as they'd like during the 2026 season, they'll need rookie Nolan McLean to perform up to his potential.

Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns acquired Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers because he felt New York needed another frontline starter. This isn't a devaluation of McLean, and instead an understanding that true World Series contenders need at least two ace-caliber pitchers if they're to win a World Series. And now the Mets would appear to have those two guys, at least on paper.

Perhaps it would be unfair to hope that McLean could replicate the insane eight-game stretch he had during the final few months of the 2025 season, where he amassed a stellar 5-1 record with a 2.08 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. Then again, the Mets wouldn't need McLean to be that elite if he were to play his role in 2026.

Marcus Semian's First Impression of Nolan McLean Speaks Volumes

One guy who knows what it takes to win a World Series is new Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, as he did so with the Texas Rangers during the 2023 campaign.

Semien didn't play against McLean in 2025, but he got an opportunity to face him in a live setting earlier this week. Semien shared his honest verdict of McLean during a Q&A with Steve Serby of The New York Post, which was published on February 21.

"I got to face Nolan my first live at-bats this spring. He’s a guy who’s coming right at you with six different pitches and high velocity and really good stuff, and he’s a competitor on the mound," Semien said of McLean.

"He’s definitely gonna be a superstar in this league, he’s showing that already," he added.

️ Nolan McLean strikes out Ji Hwan Bae looking on a backdoor breaking ball during live BP this morning. pic.twitter.com/TFE9un2qHt
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 20, 2026

Anybody who has seen McLean pitching knows all of this is inarguable about McLean, and it's exactly why so many people are convinced he's everything that the short stint at Citi Field last season suggested.

Still, it's very cool to hear how much McLean is impressing his veteran peers. Perhaps him repeating that a 2.08 ERA is actually attainable this season. Regardless, it seems very likely that New York has found its ace of the future, given the traits that Semien touted.

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