David Peterson's success story this season doesn't involve developing a new pitch or dramatically changing his approach.
Simply put, the Mets left-hander isn't feeling the pain. Instead, it's the opposing team that is feeling the pain.
“I think that's made the biggest difference,” Peterson said Friday at Citi Field, touching the labrum in his left hip that was surgically repaired after last season. “And it's helped some of the symptoms throughout my body, from my torso all the way through my upper body.”
The results were better than the Mets expected.
Peterson has started 17 games for the team this season and has a 9-1 record with a 2.75 ERA, and his numbers are only improving as the season progresses.
His signature performance this year may have come on Tuesday against the Red Sox, when he struck out a season-high 11 batters and allowed just one earned run in six innings.
The Mets have ace-caliber pitchers Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana has also been in good form in the middle of the season, but Peterson is the Mets' most reliable starting pitcher as they sit tied with Atlanta for the third wild card spot in the National League.
“twist [Peterson] “When he goes out there, I think he'll understand that not only do he belong in this league, he can dominate,” coach Carlos Mendoza said.
Peterson split his time between starting and bullpen duties with Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets last season.
He pitched in 27 games for the team with a 5.03 ERA and decided after the season that it was time to address a hip that had been causing him discomfort on several occasions.
“Being able to rotate properly and without pain is the most important thing,” said Peterson, who continued rehabbing until late May from his November surgery.
The metric paints a different picture for players who have been successful this season. Peterson's percentile rankings on Baseball Savant are mostly in the blue, indicating he is below average in certain categories.
Those blue numbers (walk rate, strikeout rate, slugging rate, projected ERA, projected batting average) suggest this pitcher has had some good luck this season, and Peterson wouldn't deny that fact.
But he's not apologizing for his success.
“Obviously they have certain algorithms and metrics that drive everything and there's some truth to that,” Peterson said. “The numbers might not always line up with the way I pitch, but I'm not too concerned about that.”
“I watch it because it's a good resource, but I don't panic because I see a bunch of blue marks. I see myself going out and doing it every five days, so it just gives me confidence. My work may not be recognized in my category, but I'm helping my peers.”
One difference in Peterson's pitching style from last season is that he is using the sinker more often (from 25.3% to 31.3%).
The result is an improved ground ball rate, one of the few red numbers that appears on his Statcast profile.
Peterson's ground ball rate of 52.8% ranks in the 90th percentile in MLB.
“There are certain pitches that are more likely to get grounders, whether it's a sinker or a changeup. It's just a matter of knowing your order and your plan of attack and the right spots to get grounders when you need them,” Peterson said.
Peterson's emergence gives the Mets one less headache this winter as they build their starting rotation for next season.
Severino and Quintana will become free agents, and Manaea will almost certainly opt out of his contract.
Peterson remains under club control for two more seasons.
“I still have some time left to get my control, and I'm happy to be here,” Peterson said. “I want to be in this rotation and pitch every five days for this team.”
