00:00Mets pitcher Nolan McLean gets to start tonight for Team USA versus Venezuela to see who's going to be crowned
00:07the 2026 World Baseball Classic champion.
00:10Let's talk McLean and of course all things Mets with our Mets contributor for the post.
00:16My first time saying that, Tyler Ward.
00:18Our first one, Wardy.
00:20Here we go, baby.
00:21Let's kick this thing off and have some fun.
00:24McLean obviously gets the start.
00:26The Mets fan base pretty much has PTSD from Edwin Diaz missing that entire 2023 season when he tore his
00:35patellar tendon in his knee while he was celebrating a win for Team Puerto Rico in that year's WBC.
00:41Carlos Mendoza says he has mixed feelings about McLean's start tonight.
00:47With everything that the Mets have riding on this kid, do you want him pitching tonight and representing his country?
00:55Yeah.
00:56I'm in the same category as Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza.
01:00I actually laughed when I saw that quote exactly because I'm like, oh, he's one of us.
01:03That's the immediate reaction.
01:04So to answer your question transparently, no, I really don't want to see him pitching just because the last thing
01:10you want is for any injury risk when the guy isn't even playing for your team.
01:14But I also understand how big of a moment this is going to be for him in his career, regardless
01:19as to what the results are going to be.
01:20And I'm sure that this entire experience playing with Team USA and playing with the best players in the game
01:26today is only going to bode well for him as continued development.
01:29So it's like I have the angel and the devil on my shoulder, Brandon.
01:32I have the one side telling me, you know, that it's good.
01:35It makes a lot of sense.
01:36He's repping the country, screeching eagle, love all that stuff.
01:39And then we have the bad, which is the PTSD from Edwin Diaz.
01:42And knowing that you're having a guy like McClain ramp up earlier in the season, they ever has.
01:47And he's going to be in the largest and loudest environment that he's ever been a part of.
01:50How is he going to handle that environment?
01:52We'll just wait and see.
01:53But nonetheless, I'm both anxious and excited all at the same time.
01:57I'm going to flip it back to you quickly, Brandon.
01:59If you were in these shoes truly as like a diehard Mets fan or even in the shoes of Carlos
02:04Mendoza, would you feel the same or would it be a little bit different?
02:07Well, I'm with, yeah, I mean, obviously you have to.
02:10Like I'm with Mendoza, though, where he was saying how the Pirates probably felt the same way with Paul Skeens
02:16when he lined up, you know, on the mound for that.
02:19But at the end of the day, it's such an honor to represent your country.
02:22As a player, I would want to play, but I wouldn't be dancing like, you know, Edwin Diaz celebrating after
02:31a win or anything.
02:31It's just get in, get the business done, and then get out and get back to Port St. Lucie.
02:37But before we get into some more of these Mets storylines, with Team USA having one of the best rosters
02:45it's had in decades, is the pressure on them to win it tonight?
02:49Is it win it all or bust?
02:53Oh, I think absolutely, especially when you look at how Team USA started this tournament, right?
02:58There were questions as to how really locked in were they?
03:01How serious were they taking this versus some other countries, right?
03:05Because, you know, you're seeing kind of the reactions from the Bryce Harpers of the world and the Mark DeRosa's
03:10not properly managing,
03:11thinking that they were already a lock to move forward against Italy when that wasn't the case over the past
03:17week or so.
03:18So when we look at Team USA and we look at, you know, is there pressure on them?
03:23Absolutely.
03:23But I think that's good pressure if I'm being transparent, right?
03:26I also think of the comments that Bryce Harper made talking about how he wishes that, you know, USA could
03:32rep at the Olympic stage.
03:34Well, in order to get there, you need to start by putting yourself on the map with something at this
03:38scale,
03:38because USA has not even consistently done that.
03:41A victory against Venezuela tonight would most certainly solidify them as the best in all of the world at the
03:47moment.
03:48And that on top of seeing the great success that we saw from women's and men's hockey for the Winter
03:54Olympics
03:54and all the other great successes that the Winter Olympics had for USA in general,
03:58this is more of a continuation of that.
04:00And that is something where I think you could really say, hey, we actually are the best in the world
04:05right now.
04:05We have a greater argument to suggest that this should be at a greater stage in even the WBC.
04:11So I think this can only bode well for the USA.
04:14But yes, there's absolutely pressure on them.
04:16There's no doubt about that.
04:17All right, let's take it back to Port St. Lucie,
04:19because we got some good news for the Francisco Lindor fans out there.
04:23Mendoza said that he felt good and he did drills on Monday after playing Sunday in his first game action
04:29since that hammock bone in its surgery last month.
04:32He's going to play again today, Tuesday, then begin playing in some back-to-backs after Wednesday's off day.
04:39Let's do some numbers here.
04:41In percent or percentage, how confident are you that Lindor will be on the opening day roster on March 26th?
04:52100%.
04:52No hesitation whatsoever.
04:55Since Lindor first went down with that ailment and we found out,
04:58naturally there were some reservations because when you have an injury in spring training,
05:02and you have to have surgery on your hand, you're thinking it would make sense if he's going to miss
05:06at least the opening series
05:07or the first week of the season.
05:09But Francisco Lindor is a gamer.
05:11I mean, he is Iron Man.
05:12He does everything in his power to stay in the Mets lineup.
05:15And I think back a couple years ago where the Mets landed touchdown in L.A. for a West Coast
05:20trip,
05:21as soon as he landed there, he somehow, some way got his middle finger caught in a door jam,
05:26basically broke it, and then only missed one game the entire season because of it
05:30and just wrapped it up and continued to play his game.
05:32Like, that is Francisco Lindor in a nutshell.
05:35His pain tolerance is admirable, and I'm sure you, Brent, especially as a fellow athlete,
05:39can certainly appreciate that, him consistently going out of his way to try and do everything
05:44to stay in the Mets lineup.
05:46So, yeah, no doubt in my mind, Lindor will be the opening day shortstop for the New York Mets.
05:51Any worries about Lindor getting off to a slow start because he has missed time?
05:57Yes.
05:57I mean, I think that's absolutely fair, and I think that goes in hand to a degree
06:01with what Lindor has been with the New York Mets throughout the first half decade of his tenure.
06:06I can't believe I'm saying that.
06:07He's been here five-plus years now, but that's the reality.
06:10And what have we seen throughout those years?
06:12We have seen many of those years, including slow starts to the season.
06:15He's kind of been Jekyll and Hyde.
06:17Like, one year, he'll be absolutely nowhere to be seen the first month and a half.
06:20The next year, he'll actually be a lightning rod to begin.
06:23What are we going to get this year?
06:24I'm sure we're probably going to get more of what you suggested, a bit of a slow start.
06:28But thankfully, the Mets not only have such quality depth in their lineup as is,
06:32but I think Lindor, even him, maybe not at his best, but more, say, 85% to 90%,
06:37is still going to be a productive player for this Mets team.
06:40And if he continues anything that he has done each of the past number of years,
06:44playing at Citi Field especially, he loves to perform for the fans.
06:47And he absolutely has shown up on many occasions playing in Flushing Queens.
06:52All right, we're nine days away from opening day.
06:55Let's get the final word or ward.
06:58Carson Benz still trying to land a spot on that opening day roster.
07:02Started Monday's game in right field.
07:05Final ward.
07:06Wardy has been done enough to make the opening day roster.
07:11A hundred percent, just like Francisco Lindor.
07:14Carson Benz will be the Mets starting right fielder on opening day.
07:17There isn't a doubt in my mind.
07:19And there's been a lot of debates and talk as to, well,
07:22the Mets are going to have Carson Benz starting.
07:24What does that mean for Mike Tauchman, the veteran who's competing for a roster spot?
07:28There's been a lot of belief that, oh, only one of these players can be on the team.
07:32Well, lo and behold, what's going to happen?
07:33They're both going to be on this team and you're going to have Tauchman either at DH or on the
07:37bench,
07:37more than likely to begin that series against Paul Skeens and the Pirates on March 26th.
07:43And for my final ward, ward, if you will, excitement.
07:46I can't believe that we're just over a week away from opening day.
07:49I cannot wait to be covering them, not only on my platform,
07:52but also here with our awesome friends at the New York Post Sports.
07:55So I'm amped up, Brandon.
07:57I know you are too, to get the baseball season started.
07:59And let's just continue to enjoy the time that we have because this right now is the calm before the
08:05storm.
08:06Yeah, I can't wait to go to a Shake Shack at Citi Field.
08:09That's with the little hot cherry relish peppers.
08:11Oh, it's the best.
08:13I'm there for the cherry relish and the Shake Shack burgers.
08:16But, Wardy, man, you'll be in studio tomorrow.
08:19Can't wait to see you tomorrow, bro.
08:20Appreciate you hopping on.
08:22Likewise.
08:22Looking forward to it.
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