| David Peterson | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Peterson with the Mets in 2023 | |
| New York Mets – No. 23 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1995-09-03)September 3, 1995 (age 30) Denver, Colorado, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 28, 2020, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 37–30 |
| Earned run average | 4.12 |
| Strikeouts | 614 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
David John Peterson (born September 3, 1995) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theNew York Mets ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. In 2025, Peterson was named to his firstAll-Star Game.
Peterson's parents, Shannon and Doug, divorced when Peterson was a child. Peterson spent much of his childhood in stables with his father, ahorse trainer who trained the likes ofSeattle Slew. When Peterson was nine years old, his father died of an accidentaldrug overdose. Between eighth grade and his freshman year of high school, he grew ten inches.[1]
Peterson attendedRegis Jesuit High School inAurora, Colorado. In 2013, he played in theUnder Armour All-America Baseball Game atWrigley Field.[2] Before his senior year, he broke hisfibula during abasketball game, underwent surgery and missed his entire senior baseball season. As a result, he fell to the 28th round of the2014 MLB draft.[1] Peterson chose not to sign with theBoston Red Sox and instead enrolled at theUniversity of Oregon, where he played college baseball for theDucks.[3][4]
Peterson started 14 games as a freshman at Oregon in 2015, going 4–6 with a 4.39earned run average (ERA) and 81strikeouts.[5] As a sophomore in 2016, he went 4–5 with a 3.63 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 13 starts.[6] During the summer, he played for theUnited States national collegiate team.[7] Peterson became Oregon's number one starter in 2017.[8] On March 3, he set a school record with 17 strikeouts, breaking the previous record of 14 held byTyler Anderson.[9] On April 29, he broke his record after recording 20.[10][11]
Peterson was drafted by theNew York Mets with the 20th pick in the first round of the2017 MLB draft.[12] He signed and was assigned to theBrooklyn Cyclones, where he spent the whole season, posting a 2.45 ERA in three games.[13]
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MLB.com ranked Peterson as New York's second-best prospect going into the 2018 season.[14] He began 2018 with theColumbia Fireflies and was promoted to theSt. Lucie Mets in June.[15] In 22 total starts between the two teams, he went 7–10 with a 3.16 ERA.[16] He spent 2019 with theBinghamton Rumble Ponies,[17] going 3–6 with a 4.19 ERA over 24 starts, striking out 122 batters over 116 innings.[18]
Peterson had his contract selected to the 40-man roster on July 28, 2020. He made his major league debut on that same day, against theBoston Red Sox atFenway Park, getting the win after pitching5+2⁄3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, an error with two walks and three strikeouts in 78 pitches.[19] After the start, Peterson described it as "one of the greatest days of" his life.[20]
Peterson was placed on the 10-dayinjured list before his start against theMiami Marlins on August 18, due to left shoulder fatigue, an issue that had arisen following his outing against theWashington Nationals on August 13.[21] He returned to the active roster two weeks later and finished the season 6–2 with a 3.44 ERA over 10 games (9 starts).
On June 19, 2021, during a victory against theWashington Nationals, Peterson recorded the 100th strikeout of his career.[22] On July 2, Peterson was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain.[23] On July 24, Peterson was transferred to the 60-day IL.[24] He finished the year having made 15 starts with a 2–6 record, 5.54 ERA, and 69 strikeouts across66+2⁄3 innings of work.[25]
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In 2022, Peterson made 28 appearances (19 starts) for the Mets, registering a 7–5 record and 3.83 ERA with 126 strikeouts across105+2⁄3 innings pitched.[26]
Peterson made 27 appearances (21 starts) for New York in 2023, pitching to a 3–8 record, a 5.03 ERA, and a career–high 128 strikeouts in 111 innings of work.[27] Following the season on November 8, 2023, Peterson underwent surgery to repair a damaged labrum in his left hip, with an expected recovery time of 6–7 months.[28]
On May 29, 2024, the Mets activated Peterson from the injured list for his season debut.[29] On September 3, he struck out a career-high 11 batters on his 29th birthday in a 7–2 Mets victory over theBoston Red Sox.[30] In 2024, Peterson made 21 starts for the Mets, posting a 10–3 record, a career-low 2.90 ERA, and 101 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched.[31]
On October 3, Peterson pitched a scoreless 9th inning against theMilwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the2024 National League Wild Card Series to record the firstsave of his professional career.[32] On October 9, Peterson earned his first postseason win after pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless ball against thePhiladelphia Phillies in Game 4 of theNational League Division Series.[33] He recorded 8 strikeouts with a 2.92 ERA across 121⁄3 innings of the2024 postseason.[34]
On May 6, 2025, Peterson recorded his 500th career strikeout when he struck outJosé Herrera in the bottom of the 6th inning against theArizona Diamondbacks.[35] On June 11, Peterson threw his first careercomplete gameshutout, allowing 6 hits, no walks and striking out 6 batters in the Mets' 5–0 win over theWashington Nationals. The last Mets left-hander to accomplish the feat wasSteven Matz in July 2019.[36][37]
On July 10, Peterson was named to the2025 All-Star Game as a reserve, replacingRobbie Ray on the National League roster. At the time, Peterson had recorded a 6–4 record with a 3.06 ERA and 93 strikeouts across 18 starts.[38][39] As the season progressed, Peterson began to struggle, posting a 12.54 ERA across his last five games of the year, and an 8.42 ERA in his final nine games.[40] With 30 starts in 2025, Peterson posted a 9–6 record with a 4.22 ERA, and set new career-highs with 150 strikeouts across 168.2 innings pitched.[31] He was also named a Gold Glove finalist.[41]
