{"id":628109,"date":"2026-03-17T13:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/628109\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:14:18","slug":"ny-mets-carlos-mendoza-weighs-risk-of-nolan-mclean-starting-wbc-final-for-team-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/628109\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Mets’ Carlos Mendoza weighs risk of Nolan McLean starting WBC final for Team USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Mets<\/a> will continue their spring schedule against the Miami Marlins, but much of the organization\u2019s attention will be on the World Baseball Classic final, where top prospect Nolan McLean is set to start for Team USA.<\/p>\n

McLean\u2019s rapid rise has drawn attention both within the Mets organization and across the league, especially after a strong finish to last season following his MLB<\/a> call-up. However, the WBC final presents a completely different level of pressure, with global attention and elite competition awaiting him.<\/p>\n

Manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged both the excitement and concern surrounding the moment. \u201cI have mixed feelings,\u201d Mendoza said, before the Mets faced the Washington Nationals. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendoza balances excitement and concern<\/p>\n

Mendoza highlighted the intensity of representing a country in the WBC<\/a>, noting that the environment goes beyond a typical MLB game. \u201cYou\u2019re representing your country and you\u2019ve got the whole world watching you,\u201d he said, adding that the stage will be unlike anything McLean experienced during his rookie season.<\/p>\n

\"Carlos<\/p>\n

Carlos Mendoza #64 of the Mets uses the phone during spring training workouts. Rich Storry\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Mets remain cautious about potential injury risks, recalling past cases like Edwin Diaz<\/a>, who missed the 2023 season after a WBC celebration injury. \u201cThat\u2019s on the back of the mind of people and organizations\u2026 You hold your breath,\u201d Mendoza admitted.<\/p>\n

\"Coin<\/p>\n

see also<\/p>\n

Coin flip decides home team for Team USA vs. Venezuela in 2026 World Baseball Classic final<\/p>\n

<\/a>Confidence in McLean<\/p>\n

Despite the concerns, Mendoza expressed confidence in McLean\u2019s ability to handle the moment. \u201cHe\u2019s wired, he\u2019s built for moments like that\u2026 the moment is never too big for him,\u201d he said, adding that the organization will be watching closely \u2014 and \u201cwe\u2019ll be praying.\u201d<\/p>\n

SurveyDo you think Nolan McLean should be starting the WBC final for Team USA?<\/p>\n

Do you think Nolan McLean should be starting the WBC final for Team USA?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Mets will continue their spring schedule against the Miami Marlins, but much of the organization\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2396],"tags":[1206,5,101,4,1690,61,2548,4203,4819,4820],"class_list":{"0":"post-628109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-mets","8":"tag-aaron-nola","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-mets","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-mets","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkmets","16":"tag-team-usa","17":"tag-world-baseball-classic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116244701623158425","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}