NY Mets Roster: 2 players who should probably start 2022 in Triple-A

David Peterson didn’t pitch well enough to slot himself into the Mets rotation

David Peterson was the Tylor Megill of the 2020 season except he didn’t have enough time to watch his season take a turn for the worst. Through 116.1 major league innings, he is now 8-8 with a 4.64 ERA. This comes from a 6-2 record and 3.44 ERA in 2020 followed by his 2-6 and 5.54 ERA performance in 2021.

Peterson has something else in common with Megill. He, too, was rushed to the big leagues. After an okay season in Double-A back in 2019, the next time Peterson would pitch was in 2020 for the major league Mets. He skipped right from Binghamton to Queens without stopping at Syracuse.

One could argue Megill and Peterson are in the same exact position with possibly a little more trust in Peterson because of what he did in 2020. I’d rank them about equally. Each has a ton to prove in spring training.

Competition is nothing new for Peterson. Last March, he was fighting against Joey Lucchesi for the fifth spot in the rotation. Because Carlos Carrasco got hurt, the battle ended in a draw and both pitchers made the Opening Day roster.

Peterson shouldn’t be so lucky next year. The Mets cannot afford to have mediocre pitchers competing for the final spot when their veterans are coming off of such poor seasons. Add in how bad Peterson was this year and we have a guy who will need to work his way back into the circle of trust.