Mets select two-way player Nolan McLean in third round of MLB Draft
The Mets can trade for two-way star Shohei Ohtani before the Aug. 1 deadline. Or they can sign him as a free agent this offseason.
Or the Mets can draft and develop their own two-way star. That’s what they hope they did on Monday when they selected righthanded pitcher and outfielder Nolan McLean with the 91st pick in the third round on the second day of the MLB Draft.
The 6-4, 215-pound McLean, who will turn 22 on July 24, was selected out of Oklahoma State. He hit .250 with nine home runs and a .911 OPS in 43 games and had a 3.30 ERA in 30 innings with 34 strikeouts and six saves in 14 games (three starts) in 2023.
The Mets are offering McLean the chance to try both pitching and hitting as he begins his professional career.
“We’re going to let him do both,” said Steve Martone, the Mets’ special assistant to the general manager for draft operations. “It’s something that Nolan wants to attempt to do, so we’re going to let him hit. We’re really intrigued by the power in his game. He has some premium raw power and we’re going to see where it goes in professional baseball.”
Mets director of amateur scouting Drew Toussaint added: “I also think it takes plus makeup from the player and the willingness to do it. Just him showing that he would like to do it, just from our meetings with him, we think he has the makeup.”
The Baltimore Orioles drafted McLean as a pitcher only with the 81st overall pick in the third round in 2022. He did not sign after the Orioles expressed concern about a post-draft physical.
The Mets made 10 other selections on Monday in rounds 3-10. They picked six pitchers (all from college), three infielders and a catcher.
On Sunday, the Mets selected shortstop Colin Houck from Georgia’s Parkview High School with the 32nd overall pick in the first round and righthanded pitcher Brandon Sproat from the University of Florida with the 56th overall pick in the second round.
The draft concludes Tuesday with rounds 11-20.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
