Poise, Maturity of David Peterson Impressing Luis Rojas
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
During the 2020 pandemic shortened season, one of the biggest bright spots for the New York Mets was the emergence of top pithing prospect David Peterson.
Despite not throwing a single pitch in Triple-A, the left-hander impressed during his rookie season, posting a 3.44 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 50 innings.
Peterson pitched well enough to carve out a big role in the starting rotation for this 2021 team. The southpaw followed it up with a strong spring, but had a bit of a rocky start in his first outing of the new campaign.
Pitching against the Philadelphia Phillies last Wednesday, Peterson allowed a pair of home runs en route to a four-run first inning. However, he was able to settle down, make some adjustments, and threw well after that.
Before being pulled in the fifth inning, Peterson allowed the first two batters to reach base. Jacob Barnes entered and allowed a homer, and Peterson was charged with a total of six runs over four innings of work.
Despite the struggles, Mets manager Luis Rojas left the outing encouraged by Peterson. When asked on Monday afternoon about what has impressed him the most, Rojas said that composure the young left-hander showed in his outing has stood out thus far.
“Last outing against the Phillies showed his demeanor, even though it wasn’t his best outing. He gave up the two homers in the first inning, but then after that you guys saw how he made the adjustment.. That poise helps him, and it helps us to have conversations with him in the middle of the game to make drastic adjustments,” Rojas said.
Peterson was originally scheduled to take the mound for the second time this season on Monday night at Citi Field against that same Phillies team. Due to the rain-out, he will now face Philly tonight against former Met right-hander, Zack Wheeler.
Look for the young left-hander to continue to make adjustments, and bounce back and put together a strong effort in front of the hometown crowd. Rojas certainly feels that with his stuff and worth ethic the 25-year old can be a key piece of this Mets core for a long-time coming.
“This kid, he doesn’t quit, he demands the very best out of himself. With his poise, his maturity, and then you match that with his stuff, you know that this kid is only going to keep getting better and better,” Rojas said.
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