WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nolan McLean is tired of facing his own teammates in spring training. Good thing he’s about to face some of the best baseball has to offer in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
The Mets‘ rising rookie right-hander picked up right where he left off last season in his Grapefruit League debut against the Houston Astros on Thursday, tossing four scoreless innings in a 5-0 win. The Astros barely touched McLean’s stuff, managing only one hit and one walk, striking out six times. The plan was to have him throw 55 pitches, and he was right on the money, throwing 56.
“There was a lot to like,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He’s got that ability to manipulate the baseball. When you see him throw changeups right-on-right, that’s pretty impressive.”
An early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, McLean touched 97 with his fastball as early as the first inning and stayed comfortably around 96-97 throughout the outing, working quickly and efficiently. The Astros had a split-squad day, but a few of the big league regulars stayed at their facility in West Palm Beach, giving McLean a chance to face high-level hitters. He handled them well.
The one hit he gave up was a first-inning single to leadoff hitter Jeremy Peña, but McLean struck out Carlos Correa twice, got Christian Walker to line out to center field and pop one up to the catcher. He struck out Zach Cole on three pitches in the first inning, getting him to look at a changeup for strike 3.
McLean used all of his pitches, with the changeup being particularly effective. The results from seven changeups: three whiffs, three called strikes, three strikeouts.
“I’d like to get to where I use it in any count, just constantly building confidence with it,” McLean said. “It’s one of those pitches where it’s a weird feel pitch, to where I either have it or I don’t. So I tried to establish it as early as possible today. And then, it is the spring, so I’m trying to work on it as much as I can.”
With only two baserunners, he didn’t exactly have to do much heavy lifting, but a runner on second in the first inning proved beneficial. A wild pitch moved Walker into scoring position, allowing McLean to work on situational pitching and holding runners on base, something the Mets’ pitching staff has struggled with in recent years.
“A lot of hitters’ approaches change with guys in scoring position,” McLean said. “So being able to work out of situations like that — not that I intentionally threw a wild pitch to get a guy in scoring position — it’s definitely good to get those reps early.”
It was as if only five days had passed since his latest start. The 23-year-old Oklahoma State product made an immediate impact for the Mets as soon as he was called up to the big leagues last August, winning his first four decisions, with the third of those four being an eight-inning shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Had the Mets made the playoffs, he likely would have pitched the first game. Even after being eliminated on the final day of the regular season, McLean wasn’t quite ready to shut down for the winter.
So he didn’t stop throwing.
McLean played what he called “athletic catch” nearly every day, throwing from about 60-90 feet while trying to keep the ball on target without worrying about throwing hard or tracking his velocity. When he wanted to mix it up, he threw a football.
A redshirt quarterback as a freshman and a two-way player for three seasons in Stillwater, McLean is easily one of the most athletic players on the Mets. He knows what his body can and can’t do, and how to keep it in competitive shape.
“I felt so good at the end of last season, I wanted to just keep my arm moving,” McLean said. “I wasn’t necessarily still throwing bullpens full-time in the offseason, but I kept my arm moving for a while. Might have taken about a week off after the season, and just kept throwing. It allowed me to ramp up a little bit faster and pace myself.”
McLean will throw one more bullpen before departing Sunday to join Team USA in Arizona for exhibition games. The Mets expect him to pitch in a piggyback role during the tournament, entering games with clean innings and building up his pitch count.
It’s tough to believe that a year ago he was only pitching in minor league camp. It’s been a fast rise for the 24-year-old, but if anyone can handle it, the Mets believe it’s McLean.
“He’s built differently. It’s as simple as that,” Mendoza said. “I don’t think any moment is too big for him.”
EXTRA BAGS
Luis Torrens hit an RBI double in the second inning off of Steven Okert, and Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run homer, his first one of the Grapefruit League season. Second baseman Marcus Semien went 2-for-3 with a home run off left-hander Bryan King. The home run came off of a fastball, showing Semien that his timing is close to where it needs to be for the regular season.
In Port St. Lucie, Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez played a simulated game, with Polanco playing first base in a game situation for the first time. The coaches worked on several situations with the veteran infielder, including pickoffs and holding runners on base.
