MLB Twitter page just tweeted the following. What stats back up this claim?: Mets ace Nolan McLean is atop the NL Rookie of the Year poll
I can’t verify the actual Rookie of the Year poll/voting from here, but the performance case for Nolan McLean is strong. The stats backing the “atop the NL ROY poll” claim are mostly dominance indicators: run prevention, baserunner suppression, strikeouts, and underlying FIP.
Nolan McLean — 2026 pitching case
| Stat | McLean |
|---|---|
| Team | Mets |
| Starts | 5 in season leaderboard snapshot / 8 in game-log sample |
| ERA | 2.67 season snapshot / 2.78 across 8 starts |
| WHIP | 0.76 season snapshot / 0.90 across 8 starts |
| Innings | 30.1 season snapshot / 45.1 across 8 starts |
| Strikeouts | 38 season snapshot / 57 across 8 starts |
| K/9 | 11.27 season snapshot / 11.32 across 8 starts |
| K% | 33.3% season snapshot / 32.6% across 8 starts |
| BB/9 | 2.37 season snapshot / 2.38 across 8 starts |
| K/BB | 4.75 |
| FIP | 2.31 |
| Opponent AVG/OBP/SLG | .143 / .211 / .248 |
| Quality starts | 3 of 5 snapshot / 4 of 8 game-log sample |
Leaguewide context: he’s not just good “for a rookie”
Among MLB pitchers with at least 20 innings in the season leaderboard snapshot:
| Category | McLean rank | McLean mark |
|---|---|---|
| WHIP | 7th | 0.76 |
| K/9 | 8th | 11.27 |
| FIP | 10th | 2.31 |
| Strikeouts | 9th | 38 |
| ERA | 2.67 | just outside the top 10 snapshot |
That’s the real ROY argument: he’s performing like one of the better starters in baseball, not just one of the better rookies.
Recent-start consistency
| Date | Opponent | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Result note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8 | ARI | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | Quality start |
| May 2 | LAA | 4.0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | Shorter outing |
| Apr. 26 | COL | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 ER |
| Apr. 21 | MIN | 6.2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 10 Ks |
| Apr. 14 | LAD | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | Dominant vs LAD |
| Apr. 9 | ARI | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Quality start |
| Apr. 3 | SF | 5.1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 hit allowed |
| Mar. 29 | PIT | 5.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 Ks |
Bottom line
The strongest statistical backing for McLean as an NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner is:
- Elite WHIP: 0.76 in the season snapshot, top-10 MLB.
- High-end strikeout profile: over 11 K/9 and a 33% strikeout rate.
- Strong run prevention: ERA in the high-2s.
- Excellent underlying indicators: 2.31 FIP, suggesting the results are supported by strikeouts, walks, and homer prevention.
- Hit suppression: opponents are hitting only .143 in the season snapshot.
- Real starter workload: multiple quality starts and 45.1 innings across the game-log sample.
If voters are weighing impact and dominance over win-loss record, McLean has a very credible statistical case.
Another from MLB. Verify this one: Munetaka Murakami leads the AL Rookie of the Year poll
I can’t independently verify the MLB Rookie of the Year poll result itself, but the stats strongly support why Munetaka Murakami would be leading the AL ROY conversation.
Murakami is confirmed as a rookie on the White Sox roster, and Chicago is an AL team.
Munetaka Murakami — 2026 batting line
| Player | Team | Rookie | G | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | HR | RBI | R | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munetaka Murakami | CWS | Yes | 26 | 113 | .256 | .398 | .622 | 1.020 | 183.3 | 11 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 36 |
What backs up the claim
| Category | Murakami mark | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Home runs | 11 | Tied for the MLB lead in the current leaderboard snapshot |
| OPS | 1.020 | 8th among qualified MLB hitters in the snapshot |
| Slugging | .622 | Elite power production |
| OPS+ | 183.3 | About 83% better than league average by that metric |
| Walks | 22 in 113 PA | Strong plate discipline/on-base base |
| OBP | .398 | Near-.400 OBP despite a .256 AVG |
| RBI / Runs | 20 RBI, 20 R | Middle-of-order impact |
MLB leaderboard context
Home runs
| Rank | Player | Team | HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | 11 |
| 2 | Munetaka Murakami | CWS | 11 |
| 3 | James Wood | WSH | 10 |
| 4 | Aaron Judge | NYY | 9 |
| 5 | Ben Rice | NYY | 9 |
OPS
| Rank | Player | Team | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | 1.247 |
| 2 | Ben Rice | NYY | 1.197 |
| 3 | Moises Ballesteros | CHC | 1.097 |
| 4 | Joey Wiemer | WSH | 1.064 |
| 5 | Mickey Moniak | COL | 1.050 |
| 8 | Munetaka Murakami | CWS | 1.020 |
Bottom line
The claim is statistically credible: Murakami is an AL rookie with 11 homers, a 1.020 OPS, .622 slugging, 183 OPS+ and 20 RBI through 26 games. The biggest backing point is that he’s not just leading rookie-type categories — he’s near the very top of MLB in power production overall.
The one caution: his 36 strikeouts in 113 PA are high, so the profile is power-heavy. But with this level of slugging and on-base production, he has a very strong AL Rookie of the Year case.