Christian Scott’s successful debut with the New York Mets prompted some questions during a mediocre start for the major-league club: Who is the next prospect worth getting excited over? Is there somebody?
Some of the Mets’ best pitching prospects reside in High-A Brooklyn, but at least one is impressing at a higher level.
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Here are some takeaways from the Mets’ farm system based on first-hand observations, interviews with club personnel and conversations with rival scouts.
1. McLean thrives as a two-way player
The scene played out like a pattern, with a batter eyeing where the pitch landed, putting his head down and quickly retreating to the dugout. The batters never complained about the calls. It was as if each of them, one after the other, had just accepted that, yes, Nolan McLean had done it again.
McLean, the Mets’ two-way prospect at Brooklyn, dazzled in his latest start on Saturday afternoon, piling up eight strikeouts in five scoreless innings (both season-bests). For a few of McLean’s strikeouts, the right-hander dotted the outside corner against left-handed batters with his sweeper for a called third strike. At one point, he recorded five straight strikeouts.
Nolan McLean was a utility player at Oklahoma State and wants to keep hitting as a pro. (Nathan J. Fish / The Oklahoman via USA Today)
“He has the ability to sweep the slider pretty well,” Cyclones manager Gilbert Gomez said after the game. “That was probably the best that I’ve seen him command that pitch.”
McLean serves as the designated hitter on days he doesn’t pitch. He was a utility player at Oklahoma State and came out of the bullpen (4.55 ERA in 57 1/3 career innings) before the Mets took him in the third round in 2023.
Some club evaluators have marveled at McLean’s success at Brooklyn. The point they make: It’s hard enough dealing with all the newness he is encountering just as someone developing as a typical starting pitcher let alone one who also hits home runs during the week. The way McLean has adapted as a pitcher has jumped out the most to evaluators.
This is McLean’s first foray into starting on a consistent basis. His repertoire has changed from college. He still throws a good fastball and has improved his changeup. McLean has utilized a harder breaking ball and added the sweeper. With those pitches, he is tasked with understanding how to best deploy all of them.
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In five starts with Brooklyn, McLean has a 2.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 22 strikeouts.
“It did not take me very long to be around Nolan McLean and think that he was special,” pitching coach Dan McKinney said. “It’s as elite a makeup as you’ll find.”
People close to McLean say he never beats himself up and operates with a high self-awareness of his body. While he’s hyper-focused on things like mechanics during bullpens, he focuses on just competing once the game starts. That last thing can be a separator for young players; it’s easy to get in one’s own head about deliveries and pitches. McLean works quickly and with purpose on the mound.
McLean wants to be a two-way player and it will be hard for the Mets to take the bat away from him. McLean has three home runs and five doubles (.561 slugging percentage) in 43 plate appearances but has struck out a whopping 22 times.
2. Blade Tidwell rising
It may be time to consider Blade Tidwell as part of the Mets’ major-league depth. He may not end up debuting in 2024, but he at least profiles as an option in the second half. Tidwell has looked sharp at Double-A Binghamton, showing a better grasp of the finer aspects of pitching (knowing how and when to throttle, for instance), offering more consistency and effectively using a new cutter. Through five appearances, Tidwell is first among qualified pitchers in ERA (1.23) and WHIP (0.85) in the Eastern League and second in strikeouts (36). After Christian Scott’s promotion to the Mets, it’s plausible that Tidwell could join the Triple-A Syracuse rotation within the next month.
The Mets have depth, though. Syracuse’s rotation includes Joey Lucchesi (on the 40-man roster), plus prospects Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel. Also, in addition to Mets ace Kodai Senga working his way back, Tylor Megill and David Peterson are on rehab assignments and carry minor-league options.
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Further into the conversation after Tidwell, Joander Suarez and Tyler Stuart (both also at Double A) could wind up warranting consideration.
3. What’s up with Vasil and Hamel?
Scott beat Vasil and Hamel to the majors despite having less experience in Triple A than Vasil and despite getting drafted in a later round than Hamel.
The results this season have not been good for Vasil (10.80 ERA) or Hamel (6.58 ERA). Hamel, however, has pitched better than his numbers suggest outside of his first outing. Evaluators said he has experienced some poor fortune in the form of weak-contact hits. From a “stuff” perspective, Hamel’s new cutter has graded out well. Vasil, on the other hand, has to do a better job of limiting hard contact and finishing outings. He threw four no-hit innings in his last outing before things unraveled in the fifth. He may start incorporating a sweeper more into his arsenal to build off some other recent improvements.
4. Amount of quality pitchers is getting deeper
Brooklyn offers a snapshot of success for the Mets’ pitching development. Beyond McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat have turned heads. Tong’s new slider has helped him navigate 23 2/3 innings this season without allowing an earned run. One scout said Sproat, who needs to cut down on his walks, possesses some of the best raw stuff in the Mets’ farm system.
After those headliners, though, some intriguing, less-heralded pitchers are having some success, too. A couple of years ago, the Mets didn’t offer many interesting low-level pitchers that other organizations thought worthy of taking a chance on. That didn’t help the Mets in trade talks. Now, that’s changing. In Brooklyn, reliever Justin Lawson (15th round, 2023) has a 1.26 ERA and 14 strikeouts (five walks) in 14 1/3 innings and reliever Dakota Hawkins (undrafted free agent, 2023) has a 1.72 ERA and 23 strikeouts (two walks) in 15 2/3 innings.
5. Acuña’s uneven start
With Jett Williams (wrist) and Drew Gilbert (hamstring) sidelined, Luisangel Acuña stands out as the Mets’ best position player prospect who is also healthy. Acuña, who has split time at second base, shortstop and center field for Syracuse, is off to an uneven start. Defensively, he has graded out well, evaluators said, particularly at center field, a relatively new position for him; scouts say he appears at least playable there. However, he has just a .594 OPS. The Mets are working with him on staying back more instead of trying to go out and get pitches.
(Photo of Nolan McLean from March 14: Jim Rassol / USA Today)
Will Sammon is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New York Mets. A native of Queens, New York, Will previously covered the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Gators football for The Athletic, starting in 2018. Before that, he covered Mississippi State for The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s largest newspaper. Follow Will on Twitter @WillSammon
