David Peterson

David Peterson's public standing has cratered to one of the uglier narratives in the National League right now, with sentiment trending at a D- despite signs it is slowly clawing back from an outright F over the last 30 days. The core of the problem is straightforward: beat writers are openly questioning whether Peterson can hold his rotation spot, and a rough outing against the Dodgers became a lightning rod for criticism at a moment when the Mets could least afford it — a team sitting at 13-22 and struggling to string wins together. What makes the narrative particularly frustrating is the disconnect from his actual production, because his performance grade sits at a solid B, and coverage has acknowledged he is "too good of a pitcher" to simply cut loose, which means the scrutiny feels punitive rather than purely merit-based. The Mets' organizational chaos is amplifying everything — multiple roster and IL moves involving Ronny Mauricio, Luis Robert Jr., and Kodai Senga in the last two weeks paint a picture of a roster in flux, and when a franchise is scrambling like that, starting pitchers absorb disproportionate blame for losses. A first-round pick in 2017 and a six-year veteran at 30, Peterson is now in the uncomfortable position of pitching well enough to deserve his job while simultaneously fighting a public narrative that has already written his rotation obituary — and with 144 days left in the regular season, the window to flip this sentiment before it becomes self-fulfilling is still very much open.

Peers ranked by Performance grade among players at the same position. Tap any name for their full profile.