David Peterson the reliever: Mets lefty is pitching well and learning along way

ATLANTA — Two weeks into this late-season experiment, the idea of David Peterson, lefthanded reliever, is less theoretical and more real — and the results have been pretty good.

He has made four appearances out of the bullpen, tossing 5 2/3 innings and giving up two runs. One of those came on a homer when manager Buck Showalter sent him out for a third inning, which hasn’t happened since, and the other run was an intentional-walk recipient whom another reliever later allowed to score.

Opposing hitters are hitting .167 off Peterson in that sample.

“The fun part for me has been the challenge,” Peterson said. “It’s fun to come in and let it rip and shut them down and let it rip and hand it off to whoever is next. The challenge of it all has been fun for me. To expand my experience and be able to learn more.”

The Mets and Peterson view Peterson as a starter come 2023, but for now certain roster needs pushed them to try something else. And that is fine by him.

He pointed to a teammate, Carlos Carrasco, as an example of a pitcher who benefited from a temporary assignment to the bullpen. Carrasco was a reliever for Cleveland for much of 2013-14, before he really established himself as a legitimate major-leaguer, then emerged as a super-steady starter for a half-decade after.

“It makes them a better starter,” Peterson said. “Being able to see the game from a different viewpoint than you usually see it is a good thing in general.”

That may serve Peterson well in the longer-term future, but these days the focus is narrower. The Mets have bullpen jobs seemingly up for grabs on the postseason roster. Peterson is a candidate.  

Showalter said he prefers Peterson facing lefthanded hitters. That approach is tougher now than it was during Showalter’s previous managerial stints because MLB instituted a rule that requires pitchers to face at least three batters. But Peterson has gotten by OK.

“In today’s game, because of that rule that nobody really gets, you’re really asking yourself about lefty relievers: Can they survive the [righthander power bat Austin] Riley in between the two lefthanders?” Showalter said. “Can they keep him in the park? You look at things like that. Can you trust him? You’re not going to answer those questions in five days or 10 days. Everybody thinks you can. You do take that information in to try to make a good decision, but if anybody tries to tell you they know for sure what’s going to happen when the playoff lights go on, they’re kidding themselves.”

Along the way, Peterson has figured out what works, too. He pointed to his first relief appearance last month, against the Pirates, as a good learning experience. He was told he was entering the next inning, so he had to start warming up. But then the Mets rallied and kept him waiting. So he had to figure out how to get warmed up without being too warmed up.

For bullpen veterans, that is a routine occurrence. For Peterson, it was new.

“It’s good that I was put in some strictly reliever situations before we got to the playoffs to really be able to embrace that role and figure out what my process is in that role. It’s all been beneficial,” he said. “That’s something I’ve tried to do with every outing out of the bullpen. Give myself feedback and take feedback from the performances and the results. Ask, OK, what felt good in my routine today? How prepared did I feel when the phone rang? . . . Play that little game in my own head of how am I going to be the most prepared to get in the game tonight? It’s been good. I’m obviously no expert. I have a handful of bullpen experiences. So I’m going to continue to grow and learn.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.