Mets draft left-handed pitcher David Peterson in first round

With their first pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, the Mets took left-handed pitcher David Peterson out of the University of Orgeon with the 20th overall pick. That’s just the second time since Sandy Alderson took over as general manager that the Mets have taken a pitcher with their first pick in the draft.

We’ll have our own profile of Peterson shortly, but for now, here’s some of what Minor League Ball wrote about him coming into the draft:

Peterson is Oregon’s Friday night ace. The big left-hander is having a career-season during his junior campaign, perhaps boosting his draft stock more than any other other collegiate arm.

The 6-foot-6, 240 pound southpaw had raw potential and clearly the frame to grow into to succeed. A basketball and baseball player in high school, Peterson suffered a broken fibula that all but ended his basketball days, making him the pitcher he now is. The Boston Red Sox liked what they saw in the Colorado high-schooler and selected Peterson in the 28th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Obviously, Peterson went on to the Ducks rotation.

Like many teenagers the size of a tree, Peterson had a nice strikeout arsenal but struggled with command. That is, until this year.

Peterson was 8-11 over the first 27 starts of his freshman and sophomore year. He posted an ERA in the low-fours, an 8.19 strikeout-per-nine rate paired with a 3.51 walks-per-nine rate. Again, the control was a bit of a concern as he threw 16 wild pitches and hit 22 batters over the same span.