2 The Bigs

By Matt Castagna: May 23, 2024

It is no mystery that major league teams are continuously looking for ways to bolster their systems with talent. The difference now? There’s an efficiency play. There’s no better way to improve efficiently than by having one player fulfill a roster spot that can both impact your bullpen & lineup. These teams are longing for the next Babe Ruth or Shohei Othani. It’s very common that most major leaguers start their careers as two-way players and continue that path all the way up until college. These players were the best on their respective teams, and were used as such. It’s not until they reach the minors where we see these prospects (or their respective teams) pick a side of the ball to focus on. Think Rick Ankiel (pitching phenomenal turned OF) Kenley Jensen (World Baseball Classic Catcher turned perennial All-Star closer), even current Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge, to name a few.

With the 2024 MLB Draft months away, many teams and collectors have their eyes set on a consensus top-3 pick, Florida Gator Jac Caglianone. Jac seemingly hits a home run one day and then follows-up with a 10K pitching performance the next. But more to come on the next US Starlet. Today we wanted to highlight a two-way talent already showing development in his major league system.

Nolan McLean has a 2.84 ERA and .981 OPS

He also had one of the highest grading tjStuff+ sliders during Spring (120 tjStuff+)

McLean's ceiling is sky-high!pic.twitter.com/nrPPSlPofn

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) May 9, 2024

As a Mets fan, I was shocked to learn that they are currently the only team developing a two-way player. After rounds of research, all notes kept pointing back to Nolan McLean, a 2023 3rd pick out of Oklahoma State. Many people go to Coney Island for the hot dogs, the amusement park, the Ora, the boardwalk but now you can even stumble upon …Nolan McLean the “Two-Way Machine”. McLean has spent a majority of the early season in High-A, playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones. However, he was just  promoted to Binghamton (AA) last week, due to the success/production during his time at the former.

From the pitching side, he tossed 32 IP, tossing 41Ks and saw a .233 AVG against. That led to a 1.16 WHIP & a 3.09 ERA. His production doesn’t stop there…from the other side of the ball, he added 5 HR, 7 Doubles and 14 RBIs in only 72 at-bats. By the way, he hits those home runs very, very far.

There’s only one, major, glaring problem. You can probably guess what the problem is, but you wouldn’t be able to guess the metric. He strikes-out. A lot. Like a lot, a lot. 52% to be transparent. In 73 AB he struck out 38 times. To put that into perspective, he struck out 2.5 times for every hit he got (15). The good news, he’s only had about 100 plate appearances in 1.5 seasons, so it’s still VERY early.

But let’s not allow that to take away from the two-way excitement. Could he eventually shift into a pitcher-only role? Maybe. Could he also work through his K-rate issues and become the two-way diamond that every prospector and team treasure? Maybe. Only time will tell. The sample size is relatively small, but the potential is there for McLean. You can find his 1^st-Bowman autograph in the , 2023 Draft set. Base autos selling at $25 with color parallels going for $75-and-up. When it comes down to it, he’s making a statement and his becoming more prevalent in both the minors and the hobby. He’s a player I’d recommend buying low on as it is still very much a work in progress, but could be a steal if the Mets continue to develop him on both paths.