With the Mets looking to end a brutal skid to start their series with the Reds, a two-game stretch in which they were outscored 17-3, the team turned to rookie Nolan McLean to calm the waters and correct their path. All McLean would do was turn in his best start of the year, in the most hitter-friendly ballpark he's played in all year, and provide the Mets' bats the breathing room they needed to break out again.

When the Mets needed McLean the most, he answered in a big way.

Against the Reds on Wednesday, McLean would go seven innings, allowing just one unearned run, three hits, and striking out nine. Possibly most importantly, the Mets' former top pitching prospect surrendered just one walk, a major step forward following his recent command issues that had plagued him for a few weeks. He was in complete command of his outing and showed again why he will be a favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award (currently +700, 4th on FanDuel Sportsbook).

After a handful of shaky outings in his past five starts, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy finally turned in the type of performance that he dominated the league with in September of last year. It was his best of the year so far, and put any concerns of a road bump or a plateau behind him.

If the Mets are going to make a run at it in the NL Wild Card picture, McLean is going to need to pitch like an ace more often.

Nolan McLean's future looks bright after performance vs. Reds

McLean dominated from start to finish on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park, with arguably the best start of the season for any Mets starter. Whether the Mets get back into the playoff picture or not remains to be seen, as mentioned before, but his latest start goes a long way toward stabilizing their current issues. Especially as Christian Scott sits on the injured list and Freddy Peralta struggles to pitch like the pitcher the Mets traded for, McLean becomes even more important.

Upon his debut last fall, fans immediately dreamed of another homegrown ace through the Mets' farm system, much like we had seen with the likes of Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and plenty of others in recent years. Seeing him struggle felt unreal at first, especially after how quickly he dominated, but he appears to have figured out his issues. Looking beyond just the 2026 season, this start bodes incredibly well for his potential future as the ace of the Mets' staff.

The Mets, whether intended or not, have a ton riding on the development of McLean: he and Scott are the only two members of the rotation under contract for 2028 and beyond, with veteran Sean Manaea being off the books after 2027. Regardless of what happens in 2026, the Mets' chance to compete in future years depends on his development.

Against a strong offense in a hitter-friendly park, the rookie McLean dominated the Reds and turned in seven shining innings. The Mets need to see more of this from the man they view as their ace, but this outing was an incredible start.

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