2 Mets players who've earned an apology from their doubters, 2 not quite there

NY Mets pitcher David Peterson has been better, but hasn't quite earned an apology yet

It's been a lost year for David Peterson. He was expected to be rotation depth, but was strung into the Opening Day rotation for a second consecutive season. He rewarded the Mets for their confidence in him by pitching the worst baseball of his career to start the year.

Through eight starts, the southpaw had an unfathomable 8.80 ERA in 39 innings pitched. The Mets were 1-7 in his starts, and Peterson, for the most part, was completely uncompetitive on the mound. His early-season struggles caused the Mets to send him down to the minors even with how thin they were depth-wise.

Peterson returned to the club in late June because they simply needed an arm and he delivered his best start of the season. Six scoreless frames against the Brewers. Since returning to the majors for that start, he's pitched more like the pitcher fans had been expecting. He has a 2.47 ERA in 12 appearances (six starts) and now has a shot at potentially earning a rotation spot for 2024 and beyond if he can pitch well down the stretch.

The reason I can't say Peterson has quite earned the apology yet is because even with the low ERA, he still doesn't look like a MLB-caliber starting pitcher. Take his last start at home against a subpar Pirates team. He lasted just 3.1 innings, limited them to one run but gave up three hits and walked six batters while hitting one more. There's a reason he has a

Peterson has certainly been better than he was, but let's not ignore his 4.63 FIP during this improved stretch. He still has a lot to work on.