Overview
- Starting for Team USA in the WBC final against Venezuela, the 24-year-old right-hander worked 4 2/3 innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts in a 3-2 defeat.
- His four-seamer averaged about 98.1 mph and touched 99.2, with added horizontal and vertical movement across his arsenal compared with 2025, according to FanGraphs.
- McLean’s 2025 Stuff+ of 117 ranked in the 93rd percentile, backing evaluations that his slider and curve already grade as plus to elite.
- Mets manager Carlos Mendoza praised how he handled the pressure and said the experience will set him up for success after seeing 98–99 mph early in camp.
- Reports project McLean for a prominent 2026 role in New York’s rotation, and he says he would accept another invitation to pitch for Team USA in a future WBC.