Inside The Mets

Former Mets pitcher praises new approach for David Peterson’s emergence

A former New York Mets pitcher has credited David Peterson’s emergence to following Sean Manaea’s approach on the mound.

Michael Sakuraba

Oct 18, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher David Peterson (23) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman (25, not pictured) to end the top of the first inning during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher David Peterson (23) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman (25, not pictured) to end the top of the first inning during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Ever since he was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2017 draft, David Peterson always had the pedigree to be a star pitcher.

On Thursday’s episode of Baseball Night in New York, former Mets reliever Trevor May spoke about Peterson finally putting all of the pieces together. May and Peterson were teammates for two seasons in Queens, and the player-turned-analyst had nothing but praise for the lefty.

“Petey’s come a long way since I played with him and he’s been getting steadily better every single year,” May told the BNNY panel. “That’s one of the things you want to see out of a guy, especially a first-rounder, with the kind of stuff he had coming out of the draft.”

May credited Peterson's recent emergence to a new approach on the mound, as the lefty now relies on a sinker/slider combo. May also believes that Peterson learned this from another Mets southpaw: Sean Manaea.

In 2024, Manaea also made notable changes to his approach, utilizing a lower arm slot and relying more on the sinker in the second half of the season. This led to the veteran recording a 12-6 record last year, with a career-best 3.47 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.

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“One big thing that has really unlocked David Peterson, especially last year and going into this year is following Sean Manaea’s lead with the commitment to the sinker and the slider combination and working into righties,” May said. “He did a really good job of that last year, he’s doing it again this Spring Training, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see a repeat of the production we got in 2024 out of David Peterson.”

Peterson has picked up right where he left off last season so far in Spring Training; in 15.2 innings pitched, the 29-year-old has a rock-solid 0.57 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, while allowing just a single earned run. Last season, he posted career-highs with 10 wins and a 2.90 ERA across 121.0 innings.

"It comes down to opportunities at the end of the day and taking advantage of them," May said. "I think [Peterson] did that in the playoffs. I think he's going to be feeling really good about how he took the reins and kept the guys in the games or kept the lead when we had it. It comes down to proving yourself that you can do things on the biggest stage. He's done some of that and that stays with you and that's a building block of his career."

The Mets’ rotational depth will be tested early this season due to injuries to Manaea and Frankie Montas; so far, the group has responded well this spring. Newly signed Clay Holmes has been so impressive that he was named the Opening Day starter by manager Carlos Mendoza. After missing most of the year with injury, Kodai Senga looks to be rounding back into his 2023 form, and Griffin Canning has allowed just one earned run with 16 strikeouts across 10 innings.

If Peterson continues to emerge as a potential ace, the team may not need to add a starter by the trade deadline, especially since the offense is capable of handling itself. As long as the Mets' rotation answers the call, 2025 has all the potential to be a magical season in Queens.

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Michael Sakuraba
MICHAEL SAKURABA

Mike Sakuraba is a contributing writer for the Mets On SI site. He has previously written for Betcris, Rotocurve, and TimTurkhockey.com.

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