PORT ST. LUCIE — David Peterson’s spring training this year has been unique.
For the first time, he’s established himself as a mainstay and knows he’s a lock for a spot in the Mets rotation.
“There’s definitely a little bit of a different feel, obviously, just with where I’m at,” Peterson told The Post on Saturday. “Being able to emphasize some stuff to work on and not really take too much into what the results are and just focus on exactly what we’re trying to do. The goal is to do what I need to do in spring to get ready to be at my best to start the season. It’s been nice the way it’s been this spring.”
The Mets’ first-round pick in 2017, Peterson enjoyed a breakout season last year, going 10-3 with a career-best 2.90 ERA over 21 regular-season starts.
That followed a rough 2023, when he pitched through hip discomfort to a 5.03 ERA across 27 appearances.
The southpaw underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip last offseason and missed the beginning of the 2024 campaign.
When he returned, Peterson was by far the best version of himself the Mets have seen.
“Having the hip surgery and getting that fixed was huge,” Peterson said. “Being able to feel good and not pitch with any pain. But also being able to have my body work the way that I want it to allowed my mechanics and my motion to be a lot more consistent and repeatable. Having my misses be smaller and being more around the zone.
“It started with that and I know what I’m capable of and I’d seen it in certain stints over some certain years. Being able to have 21 starts like I did last year and be able to perform in the way I did is definitely encouraging.”
Peterson, who is expected to make his first Grapefruit League outing on Monday against the Marlins, is the longest-tenured starter on the staff and is supposed to be one of the sure entities in a rotation that is filled with question marks.
Kodai Senga pitched all of 10 ¹/₃ innings last year due to shoulder and calf injuries, and Clay Holmes is in the process of transitioning from Yankees closer to Mets starter. The other two spots outside of Peterson are up for grabs as injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas make it unlikely they’ll be ready for Opening Day.
But last year’s showing represented an outlier in Peterson’s career. He could be this rotation’s X factor, depending on what version of him emerges in 2025.
“I know what my job is, and I know the responsibility that comes with the position that I’m in, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly,” Peterson said. “And I like having that, I like being a guy that’s been around. I want to be a guy that [manager Carlos Mendoza] and [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner] can trust.”