Normally it’s foolish to discuss early front runners for next season’s awards in November, but Nolan McLean is definitely an exception to that rule. He made quite an impression in his late-season cameo at Citi Field, and the New York Mets already have him pencilled in for a major role next year.
Several experts from MLB.com weighed in on possible Rookie of the Year candidates for next year, and McLean’s name got multiple mentions. Both Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo covered McLean as a prominent candidate, and they both mentioned his hitting background.
This last came with some colorful commentary. Mayo pointed out that McLean was swinging the bat instead of breaking them from the mound as recently as 2024 during his days with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and Callis referred to him as “Cowboy Ohtani” based on his prior two-way potential.
The Mets won’t be handing him a bat and a helmet any time soon, though. They see McLean as a possible future ace, and in many ways he’s the key to their 2026 season and the moves they’re about to make to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
Start with the obligatory review. McLean made eight starts after the Mets brought him up in mid-August, and he was dominant early on. He gave up just five earned runs in his first five starts, which included shutout wins over the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies. McLean ran out of gas a little at the end, but he wound up with a 5-1 record to go with a 2.06 ERA.
It’s the running out of gas part at the end that makes things tricky this year. McLean pitched 48 innings for the Mets this year to go with 113-2/3 in the minors, and that total of 161-2/3 represents a big jump from the 109-2/3 innings he threw in 2024.
That’s the big reason the Mets can’t pencil him in as anything close to a prospective ace right away, and it’s also the reason the Mets are one of the more serious teams in the mix to trade for Detroit starter Tarik Skubal. Having a genuine ace would take a lot of pressure off McLean, but the Mets are also looking at a complete bullpen rebuild if they let closer Edwin Diaz walk.
It’s a complicated pitching equation, but the Mets will definitely be looking for 100+ innings from McLean. Beyond that they’ll be babying their 24-year old future star, but it will be interesting to see how that approach goes if McLean excels and a Rookie of the Year award is on the table as a possibility as the 2026 season plays out.