David Peterson has now pitched in parts of five seasons for the Mets. Crazy, right? The 28-year-old lefty has had his ups and downs in a Mets uniform, highlighted by his performance in 2023.
Coming off a strong close to 2022, he started the year in the rotation thanks to injuries to José Quintana and Justin Verlander. He fumbled that chance, posting an 8.08 ERA over 39 innings and eight starts. It wasn’t great! Despite the need for starting pitching, the Mets swapped out Peterson with Tylor Megill, and the lefty wouldn’t see a start in the majors for another six weeks.
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But that’s when Peterson’s season turned around.
The last half of his season saw 13 starts and a half dozen appearances out of the bullpen, and he was a great middle-rotation guy. A 3.38 ERA (4.10 FIP), his ground ball rate jumped, and his home run rate dropped. It was everything he needed to maintain a dependant streak.
But that’s been Peterson’s issue. His hot-and-cold streaks make you look to the minors when it’s not going well. It’s a good half followed by a bad one. It’s a good season followed by a bad one. His longevity in the majors will come because of consistency. And he might’ve finally found it.
This year, since returning from hip surgery, he’s pitched to a 3.00 ERA (4.26 FIP) over 78 innings and 14 starts. Add that with his last half of 2023, and that’s a 3.18 ERA over his last 150 innings. That’s consistency.
Peterson’s start against Baltimore Monday night is a microcosm of the pitcher he’s become. At seven innings, it was the longest start of the season. When he’s under control, he lets his defense work for him. But he at times was his own worst enemy.
The first run of the night scored as a result of his own throwing error. Another scored on a balk (that would’ve scored on the next pitch, which was a homer and tied the game). The walks stayed in check Monday night (he’s averaging four per nine innings), and he got strikeouts when base runners threatened. That’s about what a David Peterson start has looked like over the last 12 months.
In 2024, he’s allowed more than three runs in just two of his 14 starts. His expected ERA is nearly two runs higher than his actual, but at his best, he’s a ground ball pitcher. The Mets’ solid middle infield defense surely helps a guy like him.
The results are coming pretty consistently for Peterson, and that’s what the Mets need. With just one player—Kodai Senga—locked down for the rotation next year, a strong finish from the lefty would make that two.
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