As pitchers go, Nolan McLean’s a complicated guy. The New York Mets hurler has just eight starts so far in his big-league career, but in the 48 innings he threw, McLean posted an ERA of 2.06 to go with 57 strikeouts and 16 walks. Oh, and he also throws six pitches.
As impressive as those numbers are, it’s what’s behind them that has the Mets raving about him. The words that popped up in Will Sammon’s breakdown of McLean’s repertoire featured words like “competitiveness” and “confidence” to go with “depth of repertoire.”
McLean’s repertoire can be broken down numerically as follows: (1) four-seam fastball (2) sinker (3) cutter (4) sweeper (5) changeup (6) curveball. There’s a lot to digest in that list, but it’s McLean’s comments about how he uses them that are especially intriguing.
What stands out is how casual McLean is about his rapid development. He said he “didn’t really know” what he was doing with his sinker as a two-way player at Oklahoma State, but in his debut start he struck out Seattle Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodriguez on a sinker, and later in the game Rodriguez approached the pitcher and said “nice sinker.”
McLean also threw a sweeper in college, but he definitely wasn’t very technical about that pitch, either.
“I was like, ‘What is the sweeper?’” he said when Mets officials talk to him about it at the draft combine.
The Mets pitcher now knows all about what he’s throwing and how he’s using it, but McLean says he takes what most of us would call a visual approach to what he’s doing.
“I’ve always had a unique ability to manipulate the ball how I want to, just seeing lines in my head, trying to match those lines with what I see,” he said. “And so, once I figured out, OK, this is what people are looking for, I’ll find something that works for me, and I’ll be able to repeat it, repeat it, repeat it.”
The sweeper is also the pitch that’s given up the most damage, McLean adds, but he’s comfortable with what he calls the “risk-reward” thing that comes with that particular pitch.
“You kind of have to look at the overall effect,” he explained. “There’s a lot of foul balls on it, a lot of takes on it to left-handers, and just my ability to throw it for strikes.”
Adding a changeup was vital as well, as was McLean’s decision to “spike it,” i.e., deliberately throw it in the dirt to get swings-and-misses. According to Sammon, it “imitates a Wiffle ball,” when he’s throwing his best version of it, McLean uses his curveball to “get below barrels,” the Athletic writer added.
Overall, it’s a fascinating journey inside the mind and thought process of a pitcher who’s nearly a savant, but McLean is also still perfecting his craft. The Mets are asking a lot from McLean this season, but he definitely has the weapons to deliver on the mound.