Nolan McLean’s Command Concerns Only Grow Fears Around Mets Ace

Nolan McLean is going through the first true slump in the Major Leagues, and it has come at a brutal time for the Mets.

In his last six starts, the Mets’ top prospect has posted an ERA of 5.81, which has been due in large part to two major concerns: long balls and free passes. He has allowed five homers in these six starts, and walked an even more staggering 19 hitters in 31 innings, a BB/9 of 5.5.

It has been an up-and-down first full season in the bigs for the Mets’ young ace, with a 4.01 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through his first 14 starts. After dominating every hitter he faced last year in his initial debut, this is the first truly tough stretch that he has faced as a professional. As the Mets continue with just three true starters in their rotation, this lull has come at a fairly unfortunate time for manager Carlos Mendoza.

Mendoza has needed to find different ways to get through 27 outs with his pitching staff recently, but the hope would be that any start McLean turns in should give them at least 16-17 outs regardless. On Friday night, McLean labored through just four innings, only allowing two runs, but highlighting a growing issue with the Mets’ starter that once felt to be their most reliable.

Nolan McLean has been struggling to keep runners off the basepaths in recent weeks for the Mets

In each of his last six starts, McLean has walked multiple batters, including four of at least three walks — including his three most recent outings. He has still put away a respectable amount of hitters as his K/9 sits at 9.0 in the same timeframe, but he has failed to put most of them away effectively. Pitch counts have soared for the rookie, and it has kept him from being able to work effectively into the middle and late innings of a game.

The Mets have managed to keep a 3-3 record in McLean’s last six starts, but his struggles have put extra strain on a bullpen that is already strained as it is, and could be part of what is keeping New York from truly taking off in the playoff hunt. The Mets are still working with two bullpen games in their rotation, with Sean Manaea and David Peterson working as bulk relievers, which typically results in the Mets’ bullpen needing to get more than half of the outs for the game that day.

The Mets are going to need McLean to reign in his command and pitch count issues if they have any chance of making into back into the playoff hunt. Their bullpen has been effective to start the year, but overusage has sunk great Mets bullpens before. A major piece to this team’s core plan is McLean anchoring a rotation, yet four-to-five inning outings that see consistent base path traffic are not good enough.

The Mets still have a good chance in front of them to get back into the National League playoff chase; they’ll need McLean to be much more like how he looked in San Diego against the Padres, with six strong innings, than he did against the Atlanta Braves, with a four-inning laboring struggle.

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