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August 25, 2025, 3:28 pm
Last Updated on August 25, 2025 3:28 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: August 25, 2025
We’re focused on young guys today, spotlighting the emergence of an exciting arm, the introduction to a bat beginning to take advantage of an increased post-trade-deadline role, the long-awaited return of a breakout starter and the ascension of a brand new closer. So now that we know what we’ll be covering, let’s take a deeper look.
Nolan McLean – SP – NYM – 42% Yahoo
McLean was mentioned in last week’s article, but since his roster percentage remains relatively low, I feel obligated to mention him again this week. The young right-hander’s second major-league outing on Friday was even more impressive than the first, as he tossed 7.0 innings of two-run ball on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in a win over the Braves. In his first two major-league starts, McLean has earned a 2-0 record while posting a stellar 1.46 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched.
Perhaps the most significant stat from Friday’s start was the zero walks, as the righty had a 27.2% walk rate in the minors this year and walked four batters in his debut outing. As stated last week, if the promising young hurler can keep the free passes down, he has a great shot at being highly successful in the majors, as the stuff plays.
The normal caveat applies here regarding the minuscule sample size, but so far, the 28.2% whiff rate is good, and the 32.6% strikeout rate is elite; and while the 23.1% chase rate has been poor and the 42.3% hard-hit rate below average, the 69.2% ground ball rate and 3.8% barrel rate have both been outstanding. Again, the underlying numbers, until McLean gets more starts under his belt, will be noisy, but he is quickly becoming a key member of the Mets rotatation, and managers, even those in shallow leagues, should not hesitate to add him to their fantasy rotations as well.
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