Nolan McLean is a special athletic talent.
This is a guy who went to Oklahoma State not just as a two-way baseball player but also as someone who was slated to become a quarterback for Mike Gundy’s football team.
The New York Mets are happy to simply have McLean pitch for them. He’s so good at that — the Mets don’t need him to worry about anything else.
But when an athlete like McLean takes the mound, it can often be subtly really cool, because an athlete like McLean is capable of fielding his position better than just about anyone.
MLB Makes Nolan McLean Announcement
MLB announced its Gold Glove winners on Sunday.
The Gold Glove among National League pitchers was given to McLean.
There were all kinds of key achievements done by McLean in winning the award.
Rookie Pitcher Gold Glove History
According to MLB.com, McLean is the first rookie pitcher to ever win a Gold Glove.
It has historically been an area of the award that often goes to a pitcher that has won it before — so rookies wouldn’t have that potential edge.
There’s also more subtlety to playing pitcher defensively — there are less chances, and they’re also a bit less varied than they might be elsewhere in the field.
That means the pitcher has to be available and on the mound whenever called upon, and then has to simply make the plays that are put in front of him. McLean did that.
Mets Pitcher Gold Glove
The Mets only had one pitching Gold Glove before this one, according to MLB.com.
Ron Darling, the southpaw, won the 1989 NL Gold Glove as a pitcher.
Darling now announces games for SNY and has gotten to see McLean come into his own in the major leagues.
Last Mets Gold Glove Winner
The Mets had actually gone more than a decade without claiming a single NL Gold Glove award.
According to MLB.com, the last time the Mets got a Gold Glove was 2014 — when Juan Lagares won it in centerfield.
A Gold Glove at the pitcher spot isn’t quite as exciting as in centerfield, but the Mets will take it at this point. An award for being good at fielding at any spot is better than what some recent years have been like for the Mets.
There’s still work for the Mets to do to get any other fielders a Gold Glove, but McLean’s win feels like a step in the right direction. And his athleticism and play style could help rub off on his teammates over time, potentially — especially when he’s actually presented with his Gold Glove.
No One Has Ever Done What Mets’ Nolan McLean Just Did