New York Mets ace Freddy Peralta will not be playing the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, and for that, he feels bad. Meanwhile, Nolan McLean shares his thoughts on the role he expects in the tournament.
Let’s check out these updates.
Freddy Peralta Explains Emotional Decision to Skip Classic
Freddy Peralta prepared all offseason to represent the Dominican Republic in the WBC. However, the circumstances didn’t work out.
“In this case, I had to make a tough decision, and I truly believe it was the right one,” Peralta said at Mets spring training camp. “I talked it through with my family and a few people I’m really close with. In the end, it came down to what was best overall.”
Peralta then shared how passing up the opportunity to represent his nation at the international stage makes him feel like. The pitcher added:
“It hurts a lot, more than a lot of people realize. Passing up the chance to represent your country, especially with the incredible team we have, isn’t easy. You never know if you’ll get another shot in the coming years, or if we’ll even win it all. Opportunities like that don’t come around often, and turning one down weighs heavy on you. But sometimes you have to make hard choices for your future and your family’s well being.”
Peralta is instead focusing on building chemistry with his new teammates in the Mets’ spring training camp after being traded here by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Nolan McLean Downplays Role Expectations
Nolan McLean will leave on Sunday to join Team USA’s camp for the WBC. Before he left the Mets’ spring training camp, he shared thoughts on what one can expect from him in the tournament.
The right-hander is not expecting a massive workload, downplaying expectations.
“I’m expecting to throw at least twice,” McLean said. “I believe it will be in a piggyback role, and kind of similar to what my pitch count was today. But yeah, I mean, I think expectation-wise, I think it’s just… I don’t have a ton of expectations on what I’m going to go out there and do, but I’m just super excited to go do it.”
McLean shared the above thoughts following his spring training start against the Houston Astros, where he pitched four scoreless innings, including six strikeouts. He is scheduled to throw one more bullpen session before he leaves the camp.
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