The New York Mets' future may be in good hands, following great springs from a right-hander and an outfielder.
The New York Mets, unfortunately, saw their right-hander Nolan McLean and the United States team fall to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.
Mclean was the starting pitcher for the Championship game, allowing two runs in the four 2/3 innings that he pitched. Fortunately, the blame for the loss on social media isn't falling on him. Roundtable's Mets podcast opens this week's show, discussing the poor performance of Team USA's offense.
Looking further into McLean in the Classic, Lucas goes back to his start against Italy, which was another loss. Overall, Mets fans have a lot to be excited about with the righty. Team USA's offense struggled in every game in which McLean started, so the losses can't fall on the 24-year-old's shoulders.
While most Mets fans are already very high on McLean, any possible doubt about his talent in the majors should be erased following Philadelphia Phillies' superstar Bryce Harper's comments about the hurler.
The two-time MVP had this to say about New York's budding star, "I don't give pitchers much credit obviously, as a hitter, but I think Nolan McLean was the best arm I saw last year." Harper said in an interview with SNY.
Moving on to another topic, but staying on the theme of young stars, outfielder Carson Benge has been a name to look out for. The 23-year-old has had a stellar spring training, batting .406 with two extra-base hits, five RBIs and a .972 OPS in 11 games.
Lucas notes that it's still unknown if Benge will make the opening day roster, but he's put together a strong case to do so.
Peter admits that he doesn't see any reason why Benge wouldn't be on the opening day roster, and hopes that the Mets don't stick him in the minors. Let us know in the comments whether you think Benge will make the roster or if he will start the 2026 season with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets.
Staying in the outfield, the trio discusses Luis Robert Jr. and whether he will be healthy this season. This leads to a discourse about the Mets' outfield as a whole, and whether this club has a top-10 outfield or not. Be sure to listen to the full podcast for a deep dive into New York's outfield and where our trio believes the Mets rank among the rest of the league.
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