David Peterson had an appetizer for shooting in the major leagues last season.
Now the Mets southpaw is chasing the main field.
After Peterson impressed over nine matches in the short 2020 season, put into action after the injuries of Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman, he is expected to compete for a spot in the 2021 Mets rotation.
“For me, I want to come here and do my thing and let the rest take care of itself,” Peterson said on Saturday from a call from Zoom in Port St. Lucie. “However, I can help the team win, that’s what I’m here for. I’m ready to go and excited to be back at camp and ready to compete and move on. “
The depth of the Mets’ pitches got even stronger on Friday when they signed Taijuan Walker, adding him to a rotation that already includes Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco. That leaves a spot – unless the Mets move to a six-player rotation, which coach Luis Rojas alluded to – for names like Peterson, Joey Lucchesi or Jordan Yamamoto.
In the meantime, Peterson arrived at the camp looking to improve last season. He skipped Triple-A to receive the call for the major leagues in 2020, opening many eyes with an ERA of 3.44 while going 6-2 with 40 eliminations and 24 walks in 49 ² / ₃ innings.
“I think there is a lot to learn,” said Peterson, 25. “There were some good times, definitely some moments that gave me confidence. Many lessons learned along the way. I thought it was a good opportunity for me, as a rookie and a young guy, who had come from Double-A, to talk to the veterans and learn as much as I could from the guys we had on the team last year. “
Peterson made his debut at Fenway Park in the fifth game of the season, taking the win after giving up two races at 5 ² / ₃ innings. He ended his season in style, playing seven ball passes for Nacional – which came after a 10-elimination performance against Braves.
“We are very proud of the work he did last year,” said Rojas. “The type of call he received, an immediate challenge, looked like he was ready for it and never missed a beat. He told me that he worked a lot in the off season. There are a few things, compact the zone and combine your pitches, sharpen your pitches. With his makeup – he and I talked about being humble and hungry and how smart he is. These three virtues, we speak specifically [about]. This will always help you to keep growing. That’s what he’s doing now.
“The competition will always be there, it will only get the best of you. So, we spoke to him in the language of the competition for a place in the rotation. “
Peterson, the Mets’ pick in Oregon in 2017, never threw more than 128 entries in a year, with his career record coming in 2018 split between Low-A and High-A. After the shortened season last year, he tried to prepare for the long journey that would come to this camp.
“I have never had a season of 162 games, so for me, I am preparing as best as I can to face this challenge this year,” said Peterson. “It is something I want to do and I want to be able to help the team win every five days.
“Last year was a test and I am ready to go back and start again.”