Nolan McLean produced a bunch of impressive numbers in his first 48 Major League innings this past season.
McLean became the 38th starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008) to have a minimum of 100 batted balls and post a ground-ball rate of at least 60%. McLean’s grounder rate was specifically 60.2%. There had been 65 prior instances in the pitch-tracking era of a starter logging a 60% or better grounder rate. So, how many of those hurlers coupled that with a 30% strikeout rate?
McLean’s strikeout rate was 30.3%. The second-highest K rate among that group of 60 percenters belongs to Giants ace Logan Webb, who had a 62.1% ground-ball rate and a 26.5% strikeout rate as a starter in 2021. The pitcher who came the closest to a “30-60” season as a starter before McLean was the Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. In 2016, he registered a 30.1% K rate and a 58.7% grounder rate while in Houston’s rotation.
McLean utilizes six pitches, but for this unique blend of success, he can largely thank two offerings: his sinker and his curveball.
Although the young right-hander threw his mid-90s sinker just 27.9% of the time last season, it was still his most frequently used pitch. It was hit into play 40 times, and all but eight of those batted balls ended up on the ground. That outrageous 80% ground-ball rate was nearly the highest in MLB, regardless of pitch type (minimum 25 batted balls ending on that pitch type).
McLean’s nasty curveball had a strong 62.5% grounder rate, but it really excelled as a swing-and-miss pitch. Getting a ton of horizontal movement, McLean’s curve was responsible for a 50% whiff rate — 25 misses on 50 swings. McLean recorded a strikeout on 19 of the 27 at-bats that ended on his big breaker, and it’s not like opposing hitters did much damage when they actually made contact. They mustered just two hits (both sharp singles), and the other six curveballs they put into play each had an exit velocity of less than 85 mph.
