MMO Exclusive: Left-Handed Pitcher, David Peterson

During the offseason, I had the pleasure of speaking with 2020 rookie standout, pitcher David Peterson.

The Colorado native spoke about debuting during the pandemic season, the excitement around new ownership, his experience learning from Jacob deGrom, and much more!

Manzo: Is there anything that you took away from last season that you worked on this offseason?

Peterson: Yeah, I think one of the things right now with ramping up throwing wise and really dialing in all of my pitches, one of the pitches last year that has always kind of been my fourth pitch is my curveball.

I felt like we made some progress between (Jeremy) Hefner and Jeremy Accardo as well in terms of making that a more consistent fourth pitch for me and really using that as a weapon, along with dialing in the rest of my pitches and trying to get my curveball more consistent.

Manzo: What is your relationship with Jeremy Hefner and how has it evolved from last season?

Peterson: Ever since Hef has come over it has been a pleasure to work for him and I’ve learned a lot from him. Obviously, playing for the organization and playing in the big leagues, he knows where we’re coming from. He has been able to not only give us information in terms of analytics and stuff like that, but he understands how to just be able to talk to us player-to-player. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

I think sometimes we get caught up in the analytical stuff, and Hef really knows how to dive into all that, but also knows how to talk to you player-to-player, so he has been a huge help to me in spring training and as well as in my first year last year.

Manzo: Shifting to new owner Steve Cohen, do players share the fans’ enthusiasm about new ownership or is it still business as usual for you guys?

Peterson: I think things have definitely changed, and new ownership comes with a newness in general. We’ve seen the fans get very excited but you have also seen players preach about their excitement for new ownership as well. Whether it’s been through social media or offseason interviews, players have certainly put their excitement out there about the moves new ownership is making, so I think it’s mutual between the fans and the players.

Manzo: How excited are you to work with James McCann, and what do you think is his best attribute is behind the plate?

Peterson: Before we acquired him (McCann), I had watched him here and there but never really focused on him, but I am very excited to work with him. When he first came over, he reached out right away — that was a huge step number one to me. Reaching out and getting to know some of the guys even before we even got face to face, it seemed like he is trying to get as acclimated with everyone as he could, so that in itself showed the commitment that he has.

I think you can see that through his play: he’s here to work, he’s here to get the job done, he wants to win, and I think he is a huge piece for us in terms of winning going forward.

Manzo: Thoughts on the Lindor trade and how excited are you to have him playing behind you?

Peterson: It’s a huge piece for us to acquire him as well as (Carlos) Carrasco, and I think both those players in those trades are going to be a huge help for us. Lindor, we know what he is, what he’s got, and the whole league has seen that for years, it’s very exciting to have him play shortstop now and have a guy like that defensively that you just know you can count on.

He’s shown it year after year and obviously he brings a huge spark in the lineup as well, I haven’t talked to him yet but I’m excited to meet him in spring and get to know him. Both him and Carrasco were huge pickups for us in that trade, two players that can help us win going forward.

Manzo: Does it make you feel more confident knowing you have Francisco Lindor playing behind you?

Peterson: Like I said, the whole league has seen what he has done in his career. He’s got all the tape, the stats, and everything to prove how valuable he is on defense. Whenever, as a pitcher, obviously you want production offensively, but when you can have a guy back there you know is just a stellar defender it’s a huge help.

Not only can he make spectacular plays, but he can make all the routine plays, which for me is the biggest thing. Guys get a lot of credit for being on ‘SportsCenter Top 10’ and that is huge when you have a guy that can do that, but just making all the routine plays is a tremendous boost. Whenever you have a chance defensively to get an out, it’s huge not giving the offense on the other team a chance to work with.

To have a guy that you can rely on like that (Lindor) is just another block of confidence for a pitcher.

Manzo: What was it like debuting and playing in such a strange 2020 season?

Peterson: When I grew up wanting to be a professional baseball player, that wasn’t the situation that I dreamt of. I think every kid grows up dreaming of the stadium full of fans cheering and that whole atmosphere, it wasn’t a traditional year but I am so thankful and blessed to have gotten the opportunity to make my debut, get through my rookie year, and have a good season.

Hopefully this year we can incorporate the fans, have family at the ballpark, and all that different stuff that we didn’t really get to enjoy last year. But when it comes down to it, it was a dream come true to make my debut and play in the major leagues, and I’m looking forward to coming back this year whatever the circumstances end up being.

The biggest thing for me to focus on is helping the team win every five days, and go out there and try and bring a championship back to the city of New York.

Manzo: Was it easier or more difficult to adjust to life as a big leaguer in the pandemic season?

Peterson: I don’t know if I can speak to wether it was harder or easier, I think hopefully being able to go through a normal year this year I will be able to answer that question a little bit better, but it was just different.

Not having anyone there, sitting in the bleachers half the time for games, it was such a strange year for a lot people, but I was able to have the veteran guys to talk to about what normal years are like. They always talked about how different the season was, but that it is what it is. That’s what we had to go through and that is how we had to play, but I’m glad that we got a season and happy to have been called up and go through my rookie year.

Manzo: How do you plan to build on your success against left handed hitters from last season?

Peterson: Well yeah that’s the goal to not let anyone get on base, to not let anyone score, and so that is what all the offseason work is being put in for, to come back and be able to produce for the team. As a starter, being able to hold a team to the least amount of runs, hits, and walks as I can is my job.

I have to be able to go out there and contain the opposition, let our offense do their thing, and if we all do our jobs at the end of the day we will come out on top. That is something I’m looking forward to as well, having success against both lefties and righties…that’s what drives me to do that.

Manzo: Were you surprised by your fastball and slider command last season, and what adjustments will you make to keep hitters off balance this year?

Peterson: I wasn’t surprised at all with what I was doing, this is what I have worked my whole life for ever since I started playing the game, so that is why I put the work in and those are the results I want to see.

I think every year, every time you have new guys coming up in the league, the league will adjust and for me it’s about adjusting to what their game plan is. There are going to be things from last year that work for me, and there will be things from last year that I need to switch up and that’s just why having four complete pitches is such a big thing.

To be able to not just have guys eliminate the other two and sit on fastball/sliders, but to use my curveball and changeup as different looks, thats the biggest thing for me to help in that cat and mouse game.

That’s what the best in the league do, continue to adjust and get better. I’m excited for that challenge and looking forward to seeing what other teams throw out there, the way that they approach me, and I will make adjustments as I see fit. That’s also where having a great coaching staff like Luis (Rojas), Hefner, Accardo, and all these guys there to be able to help me with all that.

And like I said earlier, being able to lean on veteran guys like Jake (deGrom) who is a Cy Young award winner, having Marcus (Stroman) in there, Noah (Syndergaard) when he comes back, and obviously being able to use spring training to get to know Carassco and pick his brain.

Manzo: Can you talk about your poise on the mound, and being so even keeled in high stress moments?

Peterson: It’s something that I have worked on a lot, something that has been taught to me ever since I was younger and in college, the minor leagues, and also from guys on the team. You see the way that Jake, for example, the way he goes about things, goes out there and gets his work done and thats the focus that I have. For me, it’s going out, getting hitters out, getting the defense off the field, and letting the offense have the fun.

I just try to keep a level head as much as I can, I think when you take the emotions out of it and just pitch to what you see instead of how you feel, that’s where the success comes from. I just try to be as prepared as I can be before a start, you can’t go out there with no knowledge of what hitters do or what other teams do, and I use the days between my starts to get prepared. The more prepared you are the better chance you have, and for me that’s doing my “homework”: looking at the teams that I face next, seeing what worked, what didn’t work, and where I need to improve from the previous start.

One of the things that I think about a lot, is one pitch at a time, one inning at a time, one game at a time. I try to narrow my focus as much as I can on the task at hand vs. the big picture when I’m in the moment.

Manzo: Can you describe the impact that playing with Jacob DeGrom has had on you and the biggest things you have learned from him so far?

Peterson: It’s a pleasure to be able to watch him every day, and everytime he goes out there and pitches, I’m amazed. I have a huge amount of respect for him, what he does, the work ethic he has, and the way that he goes about everything. I think everyone has their own different process to how they get ready and he’s really found his. Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned from around him is to continue being yourself and doing you.

We have so many different guys and personalities on the team, and everyone has their way for them to be the most successful. As a young player, I think it’s important to figure that out as quick as you can, ie: Who am I? What I am about? What is my routine For example, going to him (deGrom) and saying “hey, what do you do?”

Now, doing exactly what he does every five days is probably not going to work for me, but instead taking his guidance along with the rest of the staff in order to figure out my routine. It’s always fun — especially as a young guy — to talk to a guy you watched play on TV and interacted with a little bit, and really get to know him and talk the game of baseball during the game. That was a huge part of what I enjoyed last year, being able to when you’re not pitching to talk with your teammates and have conversations about the lineup that we are facing or just the game in general.

The amount of topics you can talk about during a game when you aren’t pitching are endless, so last year for me it was all about being a sponge and soaking up all I could from guys like deGrom.

Manzo: What is your favorite ballpark food?

Peterson: I had never really had Shake Shack before getting drafted, so I had that when he Wilpon’s brought me in for a game after I signed, which was awesome. Growing up in Colorado and going to Coors Field, the Helton burger is one of my favorite ballpark foods.

I think what’s so cool about each ballpark is there is always something different and unique from that city that they incorporate… the possibilities are endless.

You can follow David on Twitter: @_David_Peterson