The New York Mets have been through a tumultuous month, with an incredible offense but a struggling pitching staff. However, two recent moves have opened the door to significantly better pitching.
Of those moves, the most noteworthy has been the call-up of Nolan McLean. He's been dominant in his first three starts and has helped the Mets make up some ground in the NL East.
ESPN's Dan Mullen recently predicted that McLean, after his great start to his big league career in August, will continue to dominate in September. He predicts he'll be so good that he rivals only Paul Skenes in the final month of the year.
McLean Predicted to Have Dominant September
"Nolan McLean will be the NL's best pitcher not named Paul Skenes over the final month and take the mound in October -- as the Mets' Game 1 playoff starter," Mullen predicts.
McLean is predicted to not just have a good final month for the Mets, but also lead the charge for the team in October. Kodai Senga has been through his struggles this season, but McLean earning the Game-One starter job would be an incredible turn of events.
Prospects are complete unknowns before they make their big league debut. McLean has more than proven he's been worth the hype. The 24-year-old has made three starts, with each resulting in a win.
He has a 0.89 ERA across 20.1 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and a 0.69 WHIP. His most recent start was an eight-inning master piece against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he shut the Mets' top competition in the NL East down, allowing just four hits all game.
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Before getting the call to the big leagues this season, McLean had a 2.45 ERA in 21 games. That's a strong stretch for any pitcher at any level, and so far in the Majors, he's performing even better.
And if Mullen's prediction were to come true, that McLean is the second-best pitcher in the NL in the final month of the year, he'd have one of the best starts to a Mets career of any player in team history.
While there are plenty of legendary starts to careers in the Mets organization, McLean could etch himself in team history with a strong close to 2025 in the regular season, and potentially with a strong postseason start.
This prediction is a bold one, but based on how McLean has pitched to begin his career, it doesn't seem far-fetched. The Mets have found an ace in McLean, and Mullen's prediction coming true would only solidify that belief.
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