It’s finally time for the Mets to make a pitching change.
Right-hander Nolan McLean will be brought up on Saturday to make his big league debut against the Seattle Mariners, which is the most significant pitching-related announcement to come out of Queens on Wednesday.
Less significant but possibly significant pitching news: Early on Wednesday, right-hander Paul Blackburn was activated from the disabled list.
Frankie Montas is anticipated to be replaced in the rotation by McLean, a 24-year-old prospect who was selected third overall in the Mets system. At the trade deadline, McLean and Brandon Sproat were the backup plans because there were no starting pitchers available at the proper price. Nevertheless, the Mets were counting on Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, and Montas to get better after the deadline.
It has not yet occurred. When Montas was forced to use 72 pitches in just three innings, it became evident that the experiment was just for one game, despite the initial optimism that he would develop as the bulk guy behind an opener. The veteran starter and his 6.38 ERA were moved to the bullpen after the Mets were swept in Milwaukee.
When McLean’s name kept coming up in discussions with Syracuse manager Dick Scott and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, the backup plan turned out to be the best one.
According to Mendoza, McLean’s demeanor includes his handling of adversity, his ability to maneuver through lineups, his fielding style, and his command of the running game. Speaking with a manager and those who have witnessed his frequent outings is a lot of fun.
Although McLean has performed better overall this season with Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets did not provide any insight into their decision to select him over Sproat. McLean, a 24-year-old from North Carolina, has been promoted from Double-A Binghamton and is 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 16 games (13 starts). In 21 appearances (18 starts) over two levels this season, he is 8-5 overall with a 2.45 ERA.
Sproat has made 22 starts and has a 4.10 ERA.
Of all the Syracuse starters, McLean has the highest strikeout rate (10.0 per nine innings). Although he primarily aims to keep the ball on the ground, he misses bats with a spinning sweeper that generates a lot of horizontal movement. His low arm slot results in weak contact for ground balls, and while he can occasionally reach back and hit 97-98, his fastball often sits in the mid-90s.
McLean’s success as a pitcher isn’t shocking, but it is earlier than evaluators had anticipated when they took him out of Oklahoma State in the third round of the 2023 draft. During the Mets’ playoff run last summer, farm director Andy Green suggested to Mendoza that he might be a bullpen arm. He was a two-way player who switched to pitching exclusively the previous season.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if this kid helped you at the end of this year out of the bullpen,” Mendoza recalled Andy Green telling him last year. He was still hitting at the time of this last year. The fact that he was so high on him caught my attention.
Once more, Blackburn will be deployed out of the bullpen. The Mets needed a new arm after Justin Hagenman relieved Clay Holmes for three innings on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves. The Mets were running out of time for Blackburn’s rehabilitation, so they scheduled another rehab game for him in Triple-A on Wednesday. Blackburn has been recovering intermittently all season, first from a knee ailment and then from a shoulder impingement. He heard a knock on his door shortly after waking up in Syracuse on Wednesday to a missed call from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
Blackburn had just six appearances and recorded a 7.71 ERA in his bullpen earlier this season, despite having a strong starting pitching record. He has, however, made 12 rehab starts across four levels this season, spending a significant amount of time pitching in the minor leagues.
This followed his offseason surgery to fix a spinal fluid leak in his mid-back and his closure due to a bizarre injury last summer. The nine-year veteran was unmovable despite the Mets’ attempts to trade him at the deadline. After battling injuries and inconsistencies over the past year, the 31-year-old is excited to start pitching again.
“All I want to do is pitch,” he remarked. That’s all I want—to be somewhere and pitch. For the past month, I have taken a flight every two days. All I want to do is show up and pitch.
The scheduled pregame ceremony honoring Pete Alonso’s record-breaking home run was postponed due to weather, which also delayed the start of Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. The slugger set a new franchise record Tuesday night when he hit his 253rd home run, surpassing Darryl Strawberry. The event will be held on Thursday night prior to the Braves series finale.
