Who is Nolan McLean? Meet the Mets rookie starting for Team USA in the WBC finale vs. Venezuela
McLean gets the ball after just eight career major-league starts
The 2026 World Baseball Classic champion will be crowned Tuesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. Venezuela came back to beat Italy on Monday, setting up a meeting with the United States. It is Venezuela's first ever appearance in the WBC Championship Game. USA outlasted the Dominican Republic in a thriller Sunday night. They're looking for their second WBC title.
Venezuela will send veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to mound Tuesday. USA will counter with a neophyte: Nolan McLean of the New York Mets. McLean, 24, is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, albeit one with only eight games of major-league experience. Tuesday's WBC Championship Game will be the biggest start of his career to date.
"I think he's just built for this," USA manager Mark DeRosa said about McLean on Monday. "His mindset, his stuff, his want, all of that kind of led to him being a part of this team."
This will be McLean's second WBC start and the first didn't go well. He was tagged for three runs in three innings in USA's shocking loss to Italy, including two home runs. But with Tarik Skubal one-start-and-done at the WBC, and Logan Webb and Paul Skenes having started USA's last two games, the Championship Game start falls to the rookie.
Here is what you need to know about the young right-hander going into Tuesday's matchup with Venezuela.
His 2025 MLB debut
Last year with the Mets, McLean pitched to a 2.08 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 48 innings, two innings short of the rookie limit. He was New York's best starter down the stretch as the team faded out of the postseason race. McLean's most impressive outing was an eight-inning masterpiece against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 27. He allowed only four singles.
The underlying numbers more or less aligned with the ERA. McLean pitched to a 2.97 FIP and a 3.56 xERA in his eight starts, and he ranked 11th among all pitchers in WAR from the date of his debut through the end of his season. It was top-shelf performance every which way. McLean passed the eye test and the numbers test.
Based on velocity and spin and movement and things like, McLean scored a 117 Stuff+ last season, which is exceptional (100 is average). His breaking balls bend so much they look cartoonish, and the fastball sits comfortably in the mid-90s. It is elite, high-end power stuff. McLean is as good as any young pitcher in the sport.
Scouting report
We ranked McLean as the eighth best prospect in baseball entering spring training, and the No. 1 pitching prospect. Here's the write-up:
McLean was the breakout star of the regular season's final six weeks. He debuted in mid-August then notched a 2.06 ERA (196 ERA+) and a 3.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio in eight starts. It's hard to do much better than that. It's also hard to do much better from a modern arsenal perspective than what McLean has going on. He throws six pitches -- a pair of mid-90s fastballs, two high-spin breaking balls with massive horizontal break, and a cutter that serves as a bridge offering -- giving him plenty of options to break out against hitters of either hand. He works the angles too, with a delivery that sees him launch the ball from a low angle and release height. Piece it all together and it's easy to understand why McLean looks like a star already on the rise.
Lest you think we have our thumb on the scale, know Baseball America also has McLean as the eighth-best prospect in baseball, and the top pitching prospect. MLB Pipeline has him sixth overall and again the No. 1 pitcher. USA is throwing the consensus best pitching prospect in baseball at Venezuela on Tuesday, not some rando minor leaguer. He's among the favorites for 2026 National League Rookie of the Year too (+500, per DraftKings).
WBC pitch limit
McLean's first WBC start was abbreviated by ineffectiveness to some extent, but also by the pitch limit. He threw 55 pitches and the WBC limit for pool play is 65. For the Championship Game, the pitch limit is all the way up to 95. I'm not sure McLean will throw that many pitches, but it will be a more representative start. Something like five innings and 75-80 pitches could be in the cards.
