5 big Mets spring training performances from 2023 that turned out to be a fluke

2) David Peterson

David Peterson would make his way into the Mets starting rotation to open the season as a replacement for Jose Quintana. Peterson earned it. He tossed 12 shutout innings in the preseason while allowing just a single hit. A bit too wild with 8 walks, it was excusable if batters weren’t going to have a chance to use their bats against him.

Unfortunately, the only thing Peterson carried with him to the regular season was the wildness. He’d match his previous year’s total of 4.1 walks per 9 but added a whole lot of hard hit balls.

Following a successful debut against the Miami Marlins, Peterson had a major decline. He allowed 4 or more earned runs in four of his five April starts. He added another two in May before finally getting sent back to the minors. At that point, Peterson was 1-6 with an 8.08 ERA.

When he eventually returned, Peterson was much better. He engaged in a relief role for a period of time in late July before moving back to the rotation with the Mets stretching him out slowly in August.

Overall totals for Peterson in 2023 had him at 3-8 with a 5.03 ERA. Even if he did improve in the second half, it wasn’t nearly good enough for the team to even consider him as a lock to make the rotation in 2024. Offseason surgery won’t even give him the chance for this as he’ll spend a few months on the IL to begin this coming year.