Reese Kaplan -- What to Do With the 6'6" Lefty Returning Today

According to all sources today is the return of the big left hander, David Peterson.  Yes, everyone is fully aware of the torn labrum issue that kept him on the IL to start the season.  Yes, his less-than-stellar numbers from the mound over his entire major league career could partially be attributable to the hip issue.  Yes, he is out of options if the Mets choose to dispatch him back to Syracuse at any point this year and he is either part of your 2025 major league team or playing somewhere else. 

So what kind of a pitcher is David Peterson?  Well, let’s keep an open mind and not merely concentrate on his track record.  That part is pretty unimpressive, though last late season he revved it up to a 3.88 ERA over several weeks to indicate that despite the pain he was feeling he had shown an extended interval of better than average pitching.

Now for his career those numbers are not nearly as good.  He has a losing record, a 4.51 ERA (which benefited from his late 2023 strong effort), gave up nearly a hit per inning pitched and struggled with control.  His WHIP for his career is 1.41 which is a lot of base path traffic that can result in difficulty keeping opponents from scoring against you.

Now turn the page and have a look at Peterson’s rehab numbers now that he is fully healthy.  Over his 6 starts at various levels of the minors he pitched to a 2-1 record with a 1.14 ERA.  Hitters were only tallying a .213 batting average against.  He was still giving up a lot of hits but the dramatic change in control is stunning.  Over 23.2 IP he has fanned 35 and only given up 3 walks.  That is a better than 10:1 K:BB ratio.  He even earned Pitcher of the Week honors from the league.

Right now the plan is for him to be the 6th starter but that temporary measure isn’t suggesting what will happen for the long term.  Let’s assume for the moment he pitches to a 3.00 ERA over his first few starts.  Does that push someone out of the rotation when the current marathon schedule subsides a bit?  What happens if and when Kodai Senga is ready to pitch in the rotation as well? 

Right now Jose Butto has already been pushed back to Syracuse while delivering a 3.08 ERA with a great WHIP and almost no one getting hits off of him.  Does the team believe that long term pitchers with charitably deemed below average performance like Peterson and Tylor Megill at later ages make more sense than younger pitchers?

Not for the first time I will again suggest that the Mets consider converting the suddenly highly capable southpaw into a relief pitcher.  Everyone knows that Brooks Raley is done for 2024 and Jake Diekman at age 37 is not likely going to be a daily stalwart.  Having Peterson assume bullpen duty helps reinforce the overcrowded and 5-inning starting staff while also opening up the possibility of trading away other bullpen arms in the attempt to reshape for 2024 and beyond. 

For now, like all Mets fans, I hope for unexpected and great success for David Peterson, but I wouldn’t bet the house on it.  We’ve all seen flashes of productivity in the past that was not sustainable.  Maybe the extra innings and untreated hip issue were at the core.  Maybe he is now a dominant pitcher.  Maybe not.