The Mets have a small Rookie of the Year pool, but one name keeps rising to the top: Nolan McLean.
Right-hander Nolan McLean, right fielder Carson Benge and center fielder AJ Ewing are all in the mix, but Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller pointed to McLean as the Met most likely to draw NL Rookie of the Year support.
“But Nolan McLean is probably going to be the Met who receives the most NL Rookie of the Year votes, blossoming into the undisputed ace of this pitching staff," Miller wrote. "He did have a bit of a dud against the Yankees last week, allowing five runs in a loss to the Bronx Bombers. He still has 18 quality starts for the year and entered that one with a 2.24 ERA over his previous 17 starts," Miller added.
The numbers back up the case. McLean has punched out 9.9 batters per nine innings while giving up fewer than one home run per nine, at 0.9. His 189 strikeouts rank sixth in the National League, ahead of plenty of established arms and behind names such as Chris Sale, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo.
There’s also a milestone still within reach. Miller noted McLean could become the first rookie pitcher to post 20 quality starts in a season since Yordan Ventura had 22 in 2014.
Benge has put together a strong year of his own, with a near 20-20 season and 10 outfield assists. Even so, McLean’s work across the full season has separated him from the pack and established him as the ace of the rotation and one of the NL’s top starters.
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