PORT ST. LUCIE — This was the model of David Peterson the Mets got here to know final 12 months, the model of Peterson they’ll want — maybe much more critically — once more this 12 months.
The southpaw made his first Grapefruit League outing on Monday in opposition to the Marlins and picked up proper the place he left off final 12 months, tossing three scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts and surrendering only one hit and no walks.
“Really good,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned of Peterson. “Three [innings], all of his pitches were really, really good, especially the slider. That’s a pitch that, last year, he had trouble with, in my opinion. Today, he got some swings and misses. Fastball was really good for the first time out. Curveball, everything.”
Peterson entered within the third inning and struck out two of the primary three batters he confronted in an ideal body, then navigated round a leadoff single within the fourth earlier than one other 1-2-3 body within the fifth.
He threw 37 whole pitches, 25 of which have been strikes, pressured 5 swings-and-misses and topped out at 94 mph in a formidable exhibiting.
He threw his slider 9 occasions, 4 for strikes.
And 4 of his 5 pressured swings-and-misses got here from that slider.
It was a uncommon weak spot for Peterson final 12 months, when opposing hitters owned a .287 common and .777 OPS in opposition to the pitch, per FanGraphs — means larger than any of his different pitches.
Maybe it’s an indication there’s one other stage to his sport.
“Felt like I was able to execute some good sliders, fastball felt good coming out,” Peterson mentioned. “I had some curveballs later on that we were able to work on. I was able to see some good stuff out of everything.”
He adopted Kodai Senga, who pitched two scoreless innings in his personal spring debut.
Each are being counted on atop a Mets rotation that’s stuffed with query marks.
Peterson’s breakout 2024 exhibiting — when he had a 2.90 ERA in 21 begins within the common season — solidified him as a mainstay within the rotation this 12 months after bouncing between the minors and majors the primary 4 years of his profession.
Put merely, the Mets want to have the ability to rely on Peterson.
Monday was a powerful begin.
“To be the same guy,” Mendoza mentioned about what he desires to see from Peterson. “Last year, felt like when he got in trouble, he made pitches when needed. … More of the confidence of, ‘I’m one of the guys here. My stuff plays against any lineup.’ Just more of that, the conviction.”
