Photo by Ed Delany, MMO
The Mets drafted starter David Peterson with the 20th pick in the 2017 draft. The 6’6” left-hander was seen as a polished arm that could make it to the big leagues quickly. He was throwing his fastball from 89-94 mph with an above average slider as his best secondary.
Peterson’s workload was light during his pro debut after throwing over 100 innings for Oregon that year. He pitched only 3 2/3 innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
The 24-year-old began the 2018 season in the Class-A Columbia Fireflies rotation. After sporting a 1.82 ERA in nine starts (59 innings), he was promoted to Advanced-A St. Lucie.
Peterson battled through a nagging knee issue to post a 4.33 ERA in 68 2/3 innings. Though he struggled to limit hits (74), he still kept the ball in the park (1 home run).
In 2019, Peterson pitched the entire season with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He posted a 4.19 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 116 innings over 24 starts.
Peterson struck out 122 batters and walked only 37, and impressively allowed only nine home runs. His 3.19 FIP was ranked fifth in the Eastern League and his .340 BABIP was the third highest among qualified starters.
The noted groundball specialist posted a 9.5 K/9 in 2019, third best in the EL. While is groundball percentage was down from 62.9% in St. Lucie, his 52.6% groundball rate in 2019 was the second highest in the league.
Also, important to note that his 13.7 swinging strike percentage was second best in the league and tops among Mets minor league starters.
Peterson came into Mets big league camp this year noticeably slimmer and his fastball was better for it. While sitting mostly 90-91 during the 2019 season, Peterson was hitting 93/94 MPH regularly during his impressive spring. He allowed one run and struck out six in six innings.
The slider is Peterson’s best pitch and the one he uses more to get swings and misses. His sinker is a valuable tool to get groundballs and would be even more efficient if he was more consistently 92-94. He threw his changeup with more confidence in 2019, but it’s still a distant third pitch that could use a bigger separation in velocity from his slider.
Peterson will likely be in the Triple-A Syracuse Mets rotation whenever the 2020 season starts.
We recently ranked Peterson as our No. 7 prospect.
MMO – You were mostly in the low-90s with your fastball last and have been more 93/94 MPH this spring, is that something you focused on this offseason?
David Peterson – Well I worked on a lot of stuff in the offseason, thinning and feeling better in-general. But, since I showed up to camp I’ve worked a lot with the pitching coaches on getting the post out of my lower half, which I think has been beneficial.
MMO – What has been your early experience been like with new Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner?
Peterson – Hef has been awesome to work with. He has been a great resource to talk to. Like I said we have been working on using my lower half more and also done some work with the tempo of my delivery.
MMO – What is normal prep for you in terms of getting ready for your next start?
Peterson – The prep between starts is pretty consistent. It consists of a bullpen, lifts, conditioning and going over video from the previous start to look at what went well and what needs work.
MMO – How deep do you get into analytics/data that the organization has available to you?
Peterson – In the past it hasn’t really been a part of my routine at all but this year it has been good to work with the analytics staff who can explain how my stuff works in terms of the numbers.
MMO – What did you work on this offseason with the people at Elite Speed to get you ready for the 2020 season?
Peterson – Our biggest focus was to get me leaned up and as healthy and prepared for camp as possible. (Peterson slimmed down 10 pounds and went from a 113 skin fold test to an 86).
MMO – Obviously the Mets have been successful in developing pitchers recently with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, etc., have you gotten a chance to pick their brains?
Peterson – I have been able to talk to them here and there during camp but it is also fun to watch the way they go about the day to day stuff and see their processes of getting ready for the next start.
MMO – Baseball is going to implement the rule they tested out in Indy Ball into the lower level of the minors this year, that you have to step off the rubber to do a pickoff move, what are your thoughts on it?
Peterson – I don’t know how much they are going to change the game but at some point they are going to go too far with rule changes. The pick off rule doesn’t have much effect on me because I’ve used it plenty in the past.
MMO – What are key things you are looking to improve on during the 2020 season?
Peterson – I’m looking to continue to work on what we have done so far during camp and tuning up my pitches so that i have four pitches i can throw at any time as consistently as possible.
MMO – Which type of hitter would you rather face, Jeff McNeil or Pete Alonso?
Peterson – That is a tough question. On one hand you have a guy that just hits and always seems to be on base and the other guy can put balls into orbit off you. I’m just glad we are in the same clubhouse.
MMO – What is it like to around someone with the knowledge and experience of Phil Regan?
Peterson – Phil has been a great resource for me since i got drafted. He always has a different perspective and unlimited knowledge to tap into. I’m grateful to have him around and to talk to.
MMO – Thanks for your time and good luck!
You can follow David on Twitter at @_David_Peterson
