Fan makes scary Nolan McLean comparison amid NY Mets' struggles that has fans uneasy

What in the world is going on with New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean lately? McLean's last two starts have been horrific. He's allowed 14 hits and 13 earned runs over his last nine innings with a 1.89 WHIP. In McLean's nine starts this season before the last two nightmares, he'd tallied a steady 2.92 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 52 1/3 innings.

McLean isn't trying to make excuses amid this weird stretch. Following his most recent outing, he attributed his poor performance to a "combination of things", including falling behind in counts, troublesome command with his off-speed stuff, and plunking guys with two strikes.

Mets fan has arrived at a depressing comparison for Nolan McLean

Mets fan @NateLovesGallo apparently wasn't convinced by McLean's explanation for his struggles, as the fan went ahead and made a harrowing comparison of McLean to veteran right-hander Dustin May, who owns a 22-25 career record, a 4.02 career ERA, and zero All-Star appearances since his 2019 debut -- not exactly the path Mets fans envision for McLean.

There's no disrespect aimed at May here -- he's a World Series champion, let's not forget. May also took a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers (he's still capable!). It's just that McLean is often viewed as having the ceiling of a perennial Cy Young candidate. He's still just 24 years old, and most fans around the league (including non-Mets supporters) would be shocked if McLean ended up on a May-type trajectory in the long run. But hey ... they were both third-round picks in the MLB draft (albeit seven years apart) ... maybe the comparison has more legs than Mets fans want to admit.

Mets need Nolan Nolan McLean need to snap out of it immediately

McLean is now 2-4 on the season with a 4.40 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 11 starts (61 1/3 innings pitched). That’s a far cry from his 5-1 record and 2.06 ERA over eight starts last season, and it’s coming at a much worse time, as the Mets badly need McLean to be the best version of himself while they try to dig themselves out of a terrible hole in the standings. Mets pitching coach Justin Willard has his work cut out for him to get McLean back on track.

If the 2026 version of McLean is going to be this far away from the ace that he can be, New York might as well officially pack in their season. Entering Wednesday, the Mets owned the third-worst record in MLB and were eight games back of a Wild Card spot in the National League. Their margin for error is already paper-thin, and we’re only a third of the way through the regular season. McLean needs to get back on the horse right away.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow