Rather than selecting Joe Ryan from the Designated Player Pool, Team USA is using New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean as its starting pitcher against Team Venezuela in the WBC title game at LoanDepot Park in Miami tonight. Lefty Eduardo Rodríguez will make the start for Venezuela.
Team USA making huge mistake by starting Nolan McLean over Joe Ryan in WBC Finals
Team USA may be making a huge mistake by going with McLean over Ryan. McLean has a nasty pitch arsenal, but he lacks big-league experience, making just eight starts with New York last year, and struggled against Team Italy during pool play, surrendering three earned runs on a Kyle Teel solo shot and a Sam Antonacci two-run homer across three innings of work.
Meanwhile, Ryan looked sharp during his second Grapefruit League start of the season, surrendering just one run with six strikeouts and one walk on 68 pitches over four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Granted, Team Venezuela is a much tougher opponent than the Pirates. Still, Ryan's strong outing suggests Team USA should've added him to its roster.
And even if McLean was always going to start today, why not have Ryan enter the game in relief? Team USA opted to add Jeff Hoffman, a reliever, instead of Ryan. McLean could easily get into early trouble against Venezuela, and having a starting pitcher of Ryan's caliber available to pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen would've been a solid option for manager Mark DeRosa.
Team USA has a great shot to defeat Team Venezuela tonight. On paper, the United States is the stronger team. But Venezuela still has a very formidable lineup, which includes Ronald Acuña Jr., William Contreras, Maikel Garcia, Luis Arráez and other big leaguers. Given Ryan's experience, it seems starting the Twins righty over McLean against Venezuela's established lineup would've been the best move for the United States. Hopefully, for Team USA's sake, McLean pitches a bit better than he did against Italy.
While it's a bummer for Twins fans that Ryan won't be taking the bump for Team USA tonight, fans will at least most likely be able to see Byron Buxton in the starting lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong has taken over the starting center fielder role for Team USA due to his strong performance during the tournament, but Buxton will probably earn the start tonight since Rodriguez is a lefty, and Crow-Armstrong has struggled against southpaws during his career.
The WBC Championship Game between Team USA and Team Venezuela is scheduled to begin at 7:00 CST tonight on FOX.