Unicorn Mets prospect is cutting his horn to become a pitching stallion

Nolan McLean got a lot of attention on Sunday because the New York Mets drafted a former teammate of his and fellow two-way player Carson Benge in the first round. McLean wrapped up the first half of the season in Binghamton where he batted .159/.232/.333 in 69 plate appearances. He has struggled on the mound, too, pitching to a 5.35 ERA in 38.2 innings.

It’s disappointing for a unique talent like McLean to struggle in both areas. The good news is with a two-way prospect like this you have an obvious backup plan. Stick with what you’re better at. Based on this year’s performance, it’s pitching.

McLean will move exclusively to pitching for at least the remainder of the season. This announcement came courtesy of Benge who may have accidentally spoiled it. Could things change? Sure they can. But for now, their unicorn has cut off his own horn.

The Nolan McLean experiment ends as the Carson Benge one doesn’t need to begin

McLean was bold enough to try to replicate what Shohei Ohtani does. It didn’t always come easily for Ohtani. His body got beat up plenty early on and his performance suffered as a result. He still hasn’t found the magic elixir. He’s spending this season recovering from Tommy John surgery and only DH’ing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Mets drafting yet another two-way player while seeing the adversity McLean faced should have them making a choice with Benge to go in one direction or the other. And, by all accounts, it seems he’ll be an outfielder and not a pitcher.

The 21-year-old hit 18 home runs in 304 plate appearances for Oklahoma State. A powerful hitter with 49 walks versus 51 strikeouts, he showed a different kind of good command of the strike zone as a hitter. On the mound, Benge was 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings. He showed good command there, too. His 2.7 walks and 10.7 strikeouts per 9 each are a good combination. We shouldn't rule out the possibility of doing both, but based on the toll it took on McLean, we get another reminder why more people don't excel at both.

Pitching for the Mets in the minors shouldn’t be in Benge’s immediate future. Consider it an alternative if this hitting thing fails. There is always room for a change.