Mets draft LHP David Peterson with no. 20 overall pick

The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft is underway in Secaucus, New Jersey on Monday evening, and the New York Mets will be making two selections in this year’s draft.

With their first pick (no. 20), the Mets selected left handed pitcher David Peterson from the University of Oregon. Peterson is a big kid, coming in at 6’6″, 240 lbs, and was a starter for the Ducks this past season (his junior year of college).

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This past year, Peterson struck out 140 batters and walked just 15 overall in 100 1/2 innings. His control is definitely something the Mets will love to keep developing now that he’s in the organization. His 2.51 ERA will definitely fit in nicely with the crop of young talent the Amazin’s have developed over the past few seasons in the minors.

The game that really sticks out in people’s minds is when he struck out 20 batters against Arizona State. That obviously caught the attention of scouts from all over the league and caused his stock to soar.

While the Colorado native is not projected to be an ace of a staff, he could still be a very useful piece for New York in the near future. Some experts see him quickly moving up the ranks in the minors as a possible mid-rotation starter.

Next: Mets DFA Sean Gilmartin, immediately claimed by St. Louis

While Peterson features a curveball, fastball and change-up, his best pitch is definitely the heater topping at 94. It’s going to be interesting to see if he gets a chance to learn the Dan Warthen slider and how that adds to his already impressive arsenal.