If the Major League Baseball postseason were to begin today, the New York Mets would be part of it — but just barely. Clinging to the third and final wild-card spot in the National League with 17 games remaining in the regular season, the Mets hold a slim two-game lead over the surging San Francisco Giants in the wild-card race.
One of the players who figures to play a key role in helping New York reach the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons is rookie starting pitcher Nolan McLean.
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McLean, a 24-year-old righty known for his wicked sweeper pitch, was called up from the minors last month in preparation for the regular season’s home stretch, and he has performed admirably.
In five appearances (all starts), McLean boasts a tremendous 1.42 ERA and a 4-1 record, having allowed only 20 hits and five earned runs while striking out 33 batters in 31.2 innings pitched. His only loss came in his most recent outing, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
Nolan McLean stood tall on the mound for the @Mets.
MLB's No. 36 prospect struck out five across 5 1/3 innings before taking the hard-luck loss in his fifth MLB start: pic.twitter.com/8AzxlEG2Y0
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 9, 2025
McLean played college ball for three seasons at Oklahoma State, starring for the Cowboys as both a pitcher (4.55 career ERA) and a hitter (.270 career batting average). He also walked onto the school’s football team in 2020 as a three-star quarterback recruit, but he redshirted and never saw game action. He gave up football after that season.
McLean was selected by the Mets in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft and entered professional baseball as both a pitcher and a hitter, but after giving up hitting to focus solely on pitching in 2024, his development took off.
“There’s a lot to like, man,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said about McLean last month, via NorthJersey.com. “We all see the pitches. Everyone talks about the sweeper, the mid-90s, the sinker and all that, but it’s just the way he carries himself.”
McLean — who was a guest in 2022 on Sports Spectrum’s “Table Forty” podcast — said he attributes his in-game demeanor to his relationship with God.
“A full love and compassion for Him makes everything on the field go so much smoother,” McLean said on the podcast.
The Willow Springs, North Carolina, native explained that God led him to Himself through a long discovery process as a child and adolescent.
“Growing up, I always knew and felt there was something out there, that there was a God of some kind,” he said. “I didn’t really know what, so I started researching and reading and started reading the Bible.”
The Bible continued to be central to McLean’s life while at Oklahoma State, where he attended several team Bible studies and even led one of them. After his debut in the majors, he made sure to show his gratitude to God with an Instagram post that he captioned in part with the words, “God is so good!” The post also included a picture with a quotation of the Bible verse Galatians 1:10.
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Whether he continues to excel on the mound and help the Mets hang onto the final wild-card spot, or his play slips and his team falls out of playoff position, McLean knows that he will still be loved beyond all comprehension by his Heavenly Father.
“At the end of the day, I’m still God’s son. I’m still His child,” he said on the podcast. “He loves me. He doesn’t care if I went 0-for-4 or hit four jacks, He’s going to love me regardless.”
New York continues its four-game road series against Philadelphia (85-60) on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. ET.
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