From a 36-home-run slugger to the 'Cowboy Ohtani': Nolan McLean makes MLB rookie history just two years after giving up hitting, with Cy Young Award predictions already emerging

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'Cowboy Ohtani' Nolan McLean (25, New York Mets) has concluded an extraordinary first full-time season by earning votes in the Rookie of the Year voting for a second consecutive year and adding a Pitcher's Gold Glove to his accolades.

The official Major League Baseball website, MLB.com, released the results of the 2026 Rookie of the Year voting for both leagues on the 10th (Korean time). In the National League (NL), Sal Stewart (23, Cincinnati Reds) claimed the award with 20 first-place votes.

Although McLean did not make the final three candidates, he finished fourth with a total of 70 points, receiving six second-place votes, seven third-place votes, nine fourth-place votes, and seven fifth-place votes. Even more noteworthy is that an impressive 29 out of the 30th-member voting panel included McLean's name on their ballots.

Another record was set here. McLean also received Rookie of the Year votes last year. After making his major league debut in August 2025, he posted a 5-1 record with an ERA of 2.06 over eight games, striking out 57 batters in 48 innings. He earned two fifth-place votes in the Rookie of the Year voting, tying for 11th place.

He maintained his rookie eligibility this year because he fell just two innings short of the 50th-inning threshold that disqualifies a pitcher from rookie status. And once again, he received votes. According to MLB.com, since the Rookie of the Year award was established in 1947, only four players, including McLean, have received Rookie of the Year votes in two different seasons. Greg Jefferies (59, former New York Mets) achieved this in 1988-1989, while Ryan Mountcastle (29, Baltimore Orioles) and Ian Anderson (28, former Atlanta Braves) did so in 2020-2021. McLean followed in their footsteps with his votes in 2025-2026.

His performance this year was also dazzling. McLean started all 31 games he appeared in, finishing with a 12-10 record and an ERA of 3.16, striking out 194 batters in 179⅔ innings. However, it was not just his pitching that stood out. On the 2nd, he also received the NL Pitcher's Gold Glove. Since the Gold Glove award was established in 1957, McLean is the first rookie pitcher to win the honor. He was also the first Mets rookie to win a Gold Glove regardless of position, and for a Mets pitcher, it was the first time since Ron Darling (66, former New York Mets) won the award in 1989, a span of 37 years.

This year, McLean recorded a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating of +4 in pitcher defense, a metric indicating how many runs a defender prevents. He threw out three baserunners with his arm and, leveraging his quick delivery, allowed opponents to attempt stolen bases only eight times all season.

This athletic ability was not developed overnight. Rather, looking back at McLean's career helps explain who he is today. During high school, McLean made a name for himself as an American football quarterback in addition to baseball. According to MLB.com, over his three years of high school, he recorded an impressive 6,809 passing yards and 62 touchdown passes, setting the school's all-time record for passing yards.

After enrolling at Oklahoma State University, he embarked on a serious dual role as both pitcher and hitter. While taking the mound as a pitcher, he also stepped into the batter's box as a third baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter. Over three years in college, he hit .270 with 36 home runs and 96 RBIs in 139 games as a hitter. As a pitcher, he threw 57⅓ innings over 39 games, recording 76 strikeouts. This is how he earned the nickname 'Cowboy Ohtani.'

Professional teams also took note of his dual talents. The Baltimore Orioles selected McLean first in the third round, 81st overall, of the 2022 draft. However, concerns regarding an MRI arose during the physical examination, and the contract was not finalized.

McLean returned to school and entered the draft again the following year. This time, the Mets selected him in the third round, 91st overall, of the 2023 draft. Interestingly, the Mets did not view McLean solely as a pitcher from the start. At the time, the Mets organization officially announced McLean as a 'dual-role player.' The plan was to have him pitch in relief and play as a designated hitter in professional baseball.

In fact, McLean continued to pursue both pitching and hitting after entering professional baseball. In the minor leagues during 2023-2024, he appeared in 68 games as a hitter, recording nine home runs and 24 RBIs. However, the dual path did not last long. While playing 17 games as a hitter in Double-A in 2024, his strikeout rate soared to 52.2%, leading the Mets to decide at the end of June that year to have McLean focus exclusively on pitching.

The decision proved to be spot on. After switching to pitching, McLean threw 109⅔ innings in High-A and Double-A in 2024, recording 116 strikeouts. The 2025 season was his first year spent entirely as a pitcher without stepping into the batter's box. He made his major league debut that August and left a strong impression in just eight games. Just one year later, he became the pitcher responsible for 179⅔ innings in the Mets' starting rotation over a full season.

Even more intriguing is the assessment of his future. McLean threw a whopping eight different pitches this year. MLB.com described his pitch mix as 'something you would only see in a video game.' He was evaluated as being able to attack the entire strike zone, equipped with various types of fastballs and two kinds of breaking balls with abnormal movement.

Indeed, according to Baseball Savant, McLean's sinker showed overwhelming power this year with a pitch value of +26. His curveball also boasted elite-level spin rates in Major League Baseball. MLB.com noted that last year, McLean's average curveball spin rate was 3,267 revolutions per minute, ranking first in all of Major League Baseball, calling it 'elite among the elite.' The site predicted that 'it would not be surprising if McLean emerges as a true Cy Young Award contender.'

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original