I had been keeping my eye on Kentucky relief righty Tim Peterson as a deep sleeper, so I was happy to see the Mets take him in the 20th round. Peterson doesn't have a lot going for him. His velocity is just below average (87-90) and his curveball isn't outstanding. But both pitches play up thanks to tremendous command.
Peterson came over to Kentucky from western Nevada, one of the better JuCo programs in the country. He had been effective there, but it was especially encouraging to see him thrive in the SEC as a junior. As I said, he's primarily a two-pitch pitcher, switching off between the fastball and curve. Neither pitch is jaw-dropping. The fastball is slow and straight and the curve isn't a big breaker, but it breaks enough to get a few swings-and-misses and a lot of weak contact.
I do worry about him being too near the strike zone. The fastball is very hittable, so he'll need to be careful with the pitch up in the zone, lest he become homer-prone. Otherwise, I like Peterson a lot. Righties light on stuff certainly have an uphill battle, but pitchers with command tend to hang on. Peterson's already signed with the club.
Update: I have been told that Peterson's velocity was up a little at the end of the college season, even brushing 93-94. If so, that's much more encouraging.