PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Nolan McLean's sendoff to the World Baseball Classic required just one Grapefruit League appearance. He made it a good one.
Facing the Astros in West Palm Beach, Fla., On Thursday, the Mets rookie right-hander struck out six batters over four shutout innings, hitting 98 mph on the radar gun multiple times.
"There was a lot to like," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters in West Palm Beach after his club's 5-0 win. "First time out there facing another team, and it seems like everything was working out of the gate. The velo was there, but [also] the movement. He's got that ability to manipulate the baseball, that two-seam. And then when you see him throw changeups right-on-right, it's pretty impressive. He got a couple of strikeouts with that pitch. Just another weapon."
On Sunday, McLean will fly to Arizona alongside another Mets starter, Clay Holmes, to join the rest of their American teammates. His expectation is to pitch “at least twice” in the tournament, piggybacking with another starter. His workload in those outings will be similar to the 56 pitches he threw against the Astros.
“I don’t have a ton of expectations on what I’m going to go out there and do,” McLean told reporters, “but I’m just super excited to go do it.”
Upon making his MLB debut last season in mid-August, McLean was a revelation. He won his first four starts and finished 5-1 with 2.06 ERA across eight regular-season outings, striking out 57 batters over 48 innings. McLean maintained his rookie eligibility for this season and ended 2025 as the Mets' top prospect and 11th overall, per MLB Pipeline.
That resume, while brief, was enough to earn him a roster spot for Team USA in the WBC.
"If anybody can handle it, it's him," Mendoza said. "He's wired for it. This guy is different. He's a competitor. He's built differently -- it's as simple as that. I don't think any moment is too big for him, or any stage."