Nolan McLean has already answered 1 NY Mets question we can start contemplating

It can get hyperbolic how fans react to the performance of rookies. It’s no exaggeration to look at what Nolan McLean has achieved and come away thinking nothing but rainbow, sunshine, and spin rate. He has been a season-altering delight since getting called up by the New York Mets. Through 3 starts, he is 3-0 with a microscopic 0.89 ERA.

Shutting down the Philadelphia Phillies for 8 innings was the icing on the cake. The demoralizing loss should send shivers down the spines of Phillies fans who now see the Mets creeping within 4 games of the NL East title. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds have fallen 4.5 games back. It’s now more probable the Mets win the division than miss the playoffs.

As such, we can start contemplating a question we haven’t been able to ask often enough. Who is the game one starter in a potential playoff series? Strategically, someone might claim there are reasons to go with someone else. Logically, you put your best arm on the mound if you can. Right now, it’s McLean.

Nolan McLean’s latest gem proves he is at the top of the Mets rotation

Forget the experience of pitching in the playoffs before. No situation seems too big for McLean. His second game was a national broadcaster for those who knew how to or have a techy nephew who could help them set up Apple TV. Already facing some lineups and situations where a pushover might come away looking much less impressive, McLean looks like more than a rookie thrust into a playoff race late in the year.

Playoffs on our minds, it’s on August 28 with exactly one month to play that we know for certain who should be the game one starter. No one has given the Mets more length. His dominance speaks for itself. We won’t kid ourselves into thinking the Mets will be able to achieve anything more than a three-game series to start things off. Even if they did capture the NL East, it would likely have them as the number three seed and host of the Wild Card round.

McLean even becomes a candidate for something a step further: Opening Day 2026. He’ll still have his rookie status then, making for a unique storyline if he was the one to get the ball to begin the year. Schedules have already been released. McLean vs. Paul Skenes to begin next year is about as good as it gets for the future of baseball.

The win over the Phillies sealed it. They’re a team of professional hitters who looked lost at the stuff McLean was throwing.

Doom and gloom over. Welcome the future. Enjoy the present. We’re witnessing something special.