The Cowboy Otani Rides to Flushing: Nolan McLean Gets the Ball Saturday

It’s not every day the Mets hand the ball to a guy nicknamed The Cowboy Otani.

Then again, it’s not every day the Mets hand the ball to a guy who, until recently, was taking batting practice in college.

That changes this Saturday, when 23-year-old Nolan McLean — a 6’3” right-hander with a mid-90s sinker, a sweeper that’s been compared to an electric eel, and a minor league WHIP tighter than a packed 7 train — makes his first big-league start.

McLean’s journey to the mound in Flushing is the kind of player development fairy tale that Mets fans have learned to treat with cautious optimism. He was a legit two-way player at Oklahoma State, with enough raw power at the plate that scouts whispered about him as a right-handed slugger. But the arm — oh, the arm — kept making louder statements.

In 2023, the Mets made him a full-time pitcher. The results?

How about a combined 2.45 ERA across two levels in 2025, with 127 strikeouts in 113.2 innings? How about holding Triple-A hitters to a .193 average this season? How about a sweeper that makes hitters look like they’re swatting at a mosquito in the dark?

Manager Carlos Mendoza summed it up yesterday in the pregame press conference “There’s a lot to like, man. The sweeper, the mid-90s sinker — but it’s also the way he carries himself. How he deals with adversity, navigates lineups, fields his position, controls the running game… you don’t always see that in the numbers.”

Mendoza went on to say McLean wasn’t just plucked out of a hat. “Both of those kids” meaning McLean and fellow top prospect Brandon Sproat “were in the conversation,” Mendoza said. “At the end we decided to go with McLean. But the fact Sproat’s name was in there says a lot about where he’s at in his development too.”

Translation: this isn’t a desperate throw-against-the-wall call-up. This is part of a plan and possibly the start of something bigger.

McLean’s been living in the low-70s for pitch counts this year, so Saturday might not be a seven-inning debut. But the Mets aren’t thinking about limitations as much as they are about winning. Mendoza made that clear:

“Pressure? There’s always pressure. It’s the big leagues. The biggest thing for us is just for him to go out there and be himself and have fun.”

That “be yourself” part might be important. McLean’s reputation in Syracuse and Binghamton was of a guy who doesn’t rattle easy. One scout described him as “the same guy after giving up a three-run bomb as he is after striking out the side.” You can work with that.

McLean’s debut feels like a curtain-raiser. The next wave of Mets high-octane arms Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong is paddling just offshore. We’ve already seen Christian Scott step in and contribute. The message from player development is clear: more help is coming.

Mendoza agreed: “Every time you call up a prospect pitcher or position player — the expectation is to help us win. We’re going to need these guys.”

This isn’t just about filling a rotation gap. It’s about finding out if McLean can be more than a spot starter. If he thrives, maybe this is his audition for a more permanent role. If nothing else, Saturday’s start gives Mets fans a chance to see what the fuss is about the mid-90s sinker, the cartoon-break sweeper, and the poise of a guy who’s been facing pressure since the day he stopped taking BP and started taking the mound full-time.

And hey, if the “Cowboy Otani” moniker sticks and he ever gets an at-bat? I’m buying the popcorn early.