Ron Darling compares Nolan McLean to legendary Mets pitcher

“In 1987, we traded Ed Hearn, our backup catcher, for this kid from Kansas City. His name was David Cone, and none of us knew him. He came over and pitched the last game of Spring Training, literally, he came over the day before we were leaving. He pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals and struck out seven or eight in three innings.”

It might seem like a lofty comparison to make after one start, but McLean turned heads with his work against the Seattle Mariners. The 24-year-old struck out eight batters in 5.1 innings and only allowed a pair of hits in his Mets debut. 

McLean topped out at 97 mph for his fastball, but it was his breaking balls that had the Mariners flummoxed at the dish; the right-hander served up eleven whiffs across his arsenal of six different pitches. His curveball was nasty, producing a 45% whiff rate and four of his eight strikeouts, while averaging 3,279 RPM for the highest spin rate of any pitch in MLB this season. He also added a highlight reel behind-the-back catch to start a 1-4-3 double play.

“[Cone] spun the ball on that first time I ever saw him on Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. And we had Dwight Gooden, Sid Fernandez, myself, Bobby Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, I could go on and on. I never saw a guy spin a ball like that, and that includes Dwight. That’s what Nolan McLean looked like to me.”

Joel Sherman was just as complimentary of McLean’s performance.

“I rode down in the elevator to the clubhouse with Jerry Dipoto, a former major league pitcher and runs baseball operations. We looked at each other and I said, ‘McLean, huh?’. And he (Dipoto) goes, ‘When you can spin it like that, especially behind in the count, that’s not a mirage, it’s not one time’.”

With the Mets in a dogfight for the final NL Wild Card spot, it’s expected that McLean will remain in the rotation for the remainder of the season. The young righty could provide a nice jolt to a group that has scuffled at times this year and has relied heavily on a rebuilt bullpen to close out games.

McLean's next start is scheduled for Friday against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.