David Peterson Becoming Early Concern For Mets

The Arizona Diamondbacks jumped all over Peterson early, striking for five runs in the first two innings of the game. Much like the Giants before them, Arizona hitters jumped on Peterson early in the count to prevent him from getting to his wipeout slider.

Peterson had particular trouble utilizing his sinker, which he needs to be effective with a fastball velocity sitting in the low 90s. That pitch has been flat over Peterson's last two starts, leading opposing hitters to tattoo it and set their offenses up for huge innings.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said in his post-game press conference that the team is seeing Peterson's struggles to execute pitches, particularly against right-handed batters. Peterson also received a vote of confidence from Mendoza, who described him as "our guy" that just needs to make a few adjustments to get better results.

It Is Too Early For The Mets To Abandon David Peterson

Despite the abject panic on social media from Mets fans after every loss, it is important to remember that we haven't reached the middle of April yet. There are a lot of innings that need to be covered over the course of a season and Peterson can fill many of those when he is on his game.

The Mets also don't have a lot of other good options right now to replace Peterson in the starting rotation. Sean Manaea, who has piggybacked Peterson in each of his past two starts, didn't look particularly effective in either game to merit a return to the rotation.

Jonah Tong had a good start in Triple-A Syracuse today but needs more time to refine his breaking stuff to succeed in the majors. Christian Scott looked like an intriguing option in spring training but the Mets are managing his buildup after Tommy John surgery, meaning he won't be a true factor for at least a month.

The other starter in the immediate mix would be Tobias Myers, who has proven to be quite valuable as a multi-inning reliever. Myers would also need to stretch out to return to the rotation, which is not optimal to do when the Mets are a bit short in the pen to begin with.

Making rash judgments off of two bad starts in April is a losing strategy and it appears like the Mets will stay the course with Peterson for now. Pitching coach Justin Willard will surely work with Peterson to help him make a few key mechanical adjustments, but these kinds of efforts won't be sustainable in the long run.

It makes plenty of sense for the Mets to give Peterson room to work through his struggles when the rest of the rotation is pitching effectively. If we are still having these conversations about Peterson a month from now, then the Mets may have to pivot to alternative options.

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