David Peterson got a pitching appetizer in the major leagues last season.
Now the left of the Mets chases the main course.
After Peterson impressed more than nine outings in the abbreviated 2020 season, launched into action after injuries to Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman, he will be ready to compete for a place in the Mets ’rotation for 2021.
“For me, I want to get in here and do what I can and let the rest take over,” Peterson said Saturday in a Zoom call from Port St. Louis. Lucie. “However, I can help the team win, that’s what I’m here to do. I’m ready to go out and I’m excited to go back to camp and be ready to compete and get it. “
The pitching depth of the Mets became even stronger on Friday when they signed Taijuan Walker, which added him to a rotation that already includes Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco. That leaves a point, unless the Mets move to a six-man rotation, alluded to by manager Luis Rojas, for people like Peterson, Joey Lucchesi or Jordan Yamamoto.
Meanwhile, Peterson has arrived at the camp looking to build last season. He skipped the Triple-A to call the big leagues in 2020, opening many eyes with an ERA of 3.44 as he went 6-2 with 40 hits and 24 walks in 49 ² / ₃ innings.
“I think there’s a lot to take away,” Peterson, 25, said. “There were good times, certainly some that gave me confidence. Lots of lessons learned along the way. I thought there was a good opportunity for me, as a rookie and youngster, to come out of Double-A, to talk to the veterans and learn all I could from the guys we had on the team last year. past. ”
Peterson made his debut at Fenway Park in the fifth game of the season, securing victory after giving up two runs in 5 ² / ades innings. He finished his season in style, throwing seven one-run ball innings against the Nationals, which came after a ten-attack performance against the Braves.
“We are very proud of the work he did last year,” Rojas said. “The type of call he received, the immediate challenge, seemed to be ready for that and he never lost his temper. He told me he worked really hard in the low season. There are a few things: pack the area and mix your releases, fine-tune your releases. With his makeup, he and I talked about being humble and going hungry and how smart he is. We talked specifically about these three virtues [about]. These will always help you keep growing. That’s what he does now.
“The competition will always be there, this will only bring out the best in you. So we talked to him in the language of competing for a place in the rotation. “
Peterson, the Mets ’first-round pick in Oregon in 2017, has never pitched more than 128 innings in a year, with his highest career in 2018 split between Low-A and High-A. After last year’s reduced season, he tried to prepare for the long journey that would come to this camp.
“I’ve never had a 162-game season, so for me, I’m preparing as best I can to take on this challenge this year,” Peterson said. “It’s something I want to do and I want to be able to help the team win every five days.
“Last year I felt like a taste and I’m ready to go back and start again.”