PORT ST. LUCIE — During the last World Baseball Classic, there was a moment when Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve caught Carlos Mendoza’s eye. Mendoza, the bench coach for Venezuela at the time, was still with the Yankees on manager Aaron Boone’s staff. The Astros and Yankees had faced one another in the postseason three times since 2017, including only months prior to the tournament in the 2022 ALCS, leading to a new rivalry.
From the on-deck circle, Altuve yelled to his bench coach in the dugout: “This is way better than a Yankees-Astros game.”
For a player of Altuve’s caliber, it said something.
“This is Jose Altuve telling me in the middle of a game,” Mendoza said Sunday at Clover Park. “That goes to show you how intense it is and the meaning for every player, and for all of us that get to experience it.”
Following Sunday’s Grapefruit League game against the Astros, several players departed Mets camp to join their respective national teams, including right-handed starters Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean (United States), outfielder Juan Soto and reliever Huascar Brazobán (Dominican Republic), and third baseman/first baseman Mark Vientos (Nicaragua).
There is a natural unease around the event from the perspective of the teams and factions of their fanbases, along with an equal amount of excitement. Once players depart their respective camps, the teams have no control over what happens with them. Their progressions are in the hands of the national team coaches and executives, and for that matter, their health is as well.
The last time around, the Mets lost Edwin Diaz for the entire season after the closer tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during a postgame celebration with Team Puerto Rico. Diaz was fresh off signing a five-year extension with the Mets that made him the highest-paid closer in baseball. It was the very definition of a worst-case scenario.
Yet Diaz, now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is returning to the Puerto Rican team this week, unfazed by the risks of the tournament but motivated by the reward. The WBC is an increasingly popular event for the best players in the game.
Having been a part of it in 2023, Mendoza understands why. The message to the departing players is to appreciate the experience of playing for your home country, and all that comes along with an international best-on-best tournament.
“That’s what I told those guys before they left, “Make sure you enjoy it because it’s something that you’ll never forget,’” Mendoza said. “Especially for a young guy like Nolan.”
McLean will be sharing a clubhouse with the reigning AL and NL Cy Young Award winners, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who is expected to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, will also pitch for Team USA despite his recent retirement from MLB. World Series winners Kyle Schwarber and Alex Bregman, MVP winners Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge and All-Stars like Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr. also highlight a loaded U.S. roster. It’s like an All-Star Game but with actual stakes to it.
McLean isn’t the type to get starstruck or overwhelmed. His cool demeanor was on full display during his eight starts in the big leagues last season. It’s Holmes, a two-time All-Star who has pitched in the World Series and been in the big leagues since 2018, who seems the most excited to be in a clubhouse that possesses such a high amount of talent.
“It’s going to be special just to be around them,” Holmes said. “People of that caliber, when you watch them play, they just play the game a little bit differently than the rest… I’m glad to have them behind me, but I’m happy just to be able to sit there and take it in and just watch these games.”
If his Sunday performance was any indication, Holmes is already in competitive form. In a 4-3 walkoff Grapefruit League win over Houston, Holmes held the Astros to one earned run on three hits, walked one and struck out four over four innings. His fastball averaged about 95 mph and he kept the ball on the ground.
Holmes has been tinkering with his cutter this spring, especially early in counts against right-handed hitters. It got good ride in his latest outing, and though he wasn’t necessarily looking for it to miss bats, he got one strikeout with the pitch.
“I feel ready,” he said. “I think it’s one of the things where you do it once or twice and kind of feel the speed and it feels natural again.”
Since the night Diaz was injured in Miami in 2023, the Mets have turned over their entire coaching staff and much of their front office. The incident isn’t top of mind. The WBC should get a nice post-Olympics boost to ride into the regular season.
Baseball is always full of uncertainty, especially this year, so the Mets might as well enjoy the ride.
REMEMBERING SHANNON FORDE
The Mets and St. John’s will mark the 10-year anniversary of the passing of Shannon Forde, a St. John’s alum and a longtime PR staffer for the Amazin’s, on Tuesday. The Red Storm will have an on-court presentation during halftime of their Big East game against Georgetown at Madison Square Garden. Forde’s family will receive a jersey from athletic director Ed Kull. Former Mets pitcher and St. John’s product John Franco will also be on hand.
Forde, a trailblazer for women in baseball, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in 2012, and she continued working for the Mets until her passing.
CAMP CUTS
Right-hander Alex Carrillo was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday afternoon, and left-handers Anderson Severino and Matt Turner were assigned to minor league camp. The Mets now have 70 players remaining in big league camp.
