Mets’ David Peterson talks ace ‘goal,’ overcoming father’s death when world ‘caved in on me’

Mets southpaw David Peterson throws some curveballs in a Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: Do you believe you can be an ace?

A: I do. That is the goal for me. That’s kind of the long-term goal when I started. You get in, you want to establish yourself, you want to be in the rotation, and then you continue to make those changes. I don’t want to be whatever starter you put a number on. You become the fifth starter when you start and then you move up, and ultimately yeah, you want to be the guy that sets the pace, you want to be the guy that sets the example as to how we’re going to be as a starting rotation. Yeah, that’s definitely a goal for me … to be an ace.

Q: From a year ago to now, how has David Peterson evolved?

A: I think the biggest thing was the hip surgery. Being able to have my hips working properly and not be restricted and obviously be pain-free has been a huge difference. I think that’s had a connection to everything else. I think once that kind of got cleaned up and I was able to get used to a new range of motion in my hips and being able to fire ’em better and be more efficient with my lower half, I think has only helped me be more efficient through my core, be more efficient through my arms. There’s nothing really arsenal-wise that’s changed, just continuing to try and refine and polish my arsenal, but I think it all starts there with the physical stuff of being pain-free and just being able to move more efficiently and use the strength and the power that I have more to my advantage.

Q: Describe your mound mentality.

A: My goal is to go out there every fifth day every time I get the ball and then give my team the chance to win. Some of the things I focus on are getting ahead of hitters, being aggressive and attacking guys. When I can get ahead early in the count, I think the numbers prove that when pitchers get ahead, they have a lot more success. And so I think for me just watching the game but also talking to some guys along the way of just them drilling into me the importance of getting strike one, getting to two strikes … so yeah, I’m trying to fill up the zone. I’m going to come after guys, and you’re going to get my best shot, I’m not going to back down, it doesn’t matter who it is. I believe that my stuff is good enough to get anybody out, sand yeah, I’m going to come after guys.

Q: What impact did your minor league mental coach Derek Mosher make on you?

A: Derek was awesome for me. I think sometimes, especially as I was coming up through the minor leagues, guys had a particular view on mental performance or sports psychologists. I was lucky enough to be exposed to it pretty early. My mom had kind of started with me young in terms of visualizing and breathing and stuff like that, and then getting to Oregon working with Ken Ravizza and then Brian Cain after him, I was open to that.

I knew that there was some things there that could help me, and Derek was great because he always took the approach of, “I’m always here.” He’s not trying to sell you on anything, he’s not trying to harp anything or beat a dead horse. He’s there for you and so for him and I a lot of it was just casual conversations and that would end up getting into some pretty in-depth baseball conversations. When we were together in Double-A in Binghamton, we would go play golf a lot and that was kind of one way for us to be away from the field and be able to talk about anything … kind of share a hobby that we both love and enjoyed, and just shoot the breeze and see where the conversation goes. He was a sports psychologist, but he really became a close friend and someone that I still keep in touch with.

Q: Was there a time when your confidence wavered and was not where it should be or not where it is now?

A: 2021 was one of those instances for me. I had a good year in ’20, obviously a weird year with the short schedule and everything that we had to go through, but felt like for me when 2021 started, I’d have a good start [then] I’d have a bad start, it was kind of playing this back-and-forth game. And as a young guy, it’s hard to avoid it, but sometimes you start looking over your shoulder: OK, am I heading in the direction of them sending me down? It’s not a lack of confidence in your stuff, but I think there’s the whole aspect of the game that we play that can creep in, and it did a little bit, and then obviously I got hurt, so that was another thing to kind of deal with. Yeah, there’s been times where you kind of, whether it’s confidence in your stuff or confidence in kind of where you stand. You got to kind of rely on what got you there, and continue to get better in that sense.

Q: You once talked about seeing nameless and faceless hitters in the box.

A: Obviously when I’m doing my scouting, I know who I’m facing and I’m putting my game plan together to attack them. But like I said, that’s kind of where that confidence in being able to get anybody out comes from is I’m not looking at someone getting into the box and saying, “Oh this is so-and-so. Look at how good of a year they’re having” Their No. 3 hitter, this is the best hitter in the lineup, whatever it is. You face those guys and you approach them a certain way with the way you game plan, but yeah, when I get out there my goal is to attack the hitters, whoever it is, it doesn’t matter who it is — go as deep as I can and give our team a chance to win. I don’t try and focus on who’s in the box specifically or by name, I’m trying to get all the outs that I can and keep our team in the ballgame.

Q: Is there one pitch you’ve made the biggest strides with from last year to now?

A: I think the changeup has continued to get better. And it’s been something when I’ve gone through ups and downs with other pitches that I’ve been able to try on. The slider has gotten better, I struggled in the first half of ’23 with it and it was better in the second half, and I’ve felt a lot better with it this year again as well. And the curveball’s been something that we’ve been able to use alongside everything else either matchups and giving guys a different look.

Q: What drives you?

A: I think it’s my love for the game. I grew up, all I wanted to do is play in the major leagues from a very young age. I think 2 or 3 was probably the first time I had kind of mentioned it to my parents, and they told me, “Get back out there and keep working.” It’s always been something I’ve been chasing. And when I got up here, it was obviously a dream come true, and I think that’s one thing for me in ’21, when I was sitting in Florida by myself with rehab, and had a lot of time to think was why at times when I’ve struggled from the mental aspect: Why am I doing this?

I’m not doing it for the money, I’m not doing it for the notoriety, I started this because of the game that I love, and that’s when I kind of got back to the realization of my “why.” That’s when things started to turn around. It ultimately for me always comes back to the love of the game and just having something that’s always been there for me, whether times are good, times are bad, on the field, off the field, the ballpark and the baseball field and the mound especially have been a sacred place for me to be able to get away and do what I love.

Q: What does it say about you that you’ve been able to overcome all the adversity you’ve overcome?

A: I would like it to be seen kind of similar to the way that I play … someone that’s persistent, someone that’s resilient … and I’m not going to let things get in the way. There’s obstacles that come up, there’s challenges that come up, but you got to find your way through ’em and you’ve got to continue to just keep pressing forward, and I think that’s where setting goals comes in and really having a simplified purpose as to why you’re doing what you’re doing allows you to stay on task and stick with the process.

Q: You had to learn that at 9 years old.

A: I did, yeah. I had to learn it a very hard way.

Q: Describe your late father Doug and your nine years with him.

A: My dad [who trained Seattle Slew] was an amazing father to me. He was always on me about doing the right thing. Always knew that everything that he did when it came to me was out of love and out of having my best interests at heart. I was with him all the time, whether it was at home or going to the racetrack with him and being at the barn in the morning. I’d go to the barn with him in the morning and he would take care of his stuff at the track, and then we’d go get breakfast and he’d drop me off at school. He was very special to me.

Q: How did you get the word that he had passed away of an accidental drug overdose?

A: I was with my mom and my sister, and we were at the airport waiting for my grandparents — they had just flown into town to visit. We were sitting there waiting for them to come out of the terminal, and my mom got a phone call. So then she passed along the news to me.

Q: What do you recall about that moment?

A: It felt like everything had kind of caved in on me. It felt like everything was kind of collapsing. It was a very tough thing to process, but I am very grateful that when I found out, I was completely surrounded by family and they were there for me and wiling to do anything that I needed to get through that hard time at such a young age.

Q: What is fatherhood like for you?

A: The greatest gift in the world. Obviously the relationship I had with my father and how it was shortened, I think that for me at an early age instilled the want for being a father. After having our son [Callahan] in 2022, it gives you a different perspective. For me, if it’s a good game or if it’s a bad game no matter what when I walk out of those clubhouse doors and I see my wife and my kids [daughter Josephine was born in July], nothing else matters besides being who I need to be for them. For me it’s been something that’s been beneficial not only in my personal life but also baseball-wise. Now there’s something else. It’s not just about doing it for myself or that, it’s doing it for them and being an example and someone for them to be proud of and look up to.

Q: Describe your wife Alex.

A: She’s everything. She’s the glue. She’s the heart to our family. I couldn’t do what I do without her. I thought I loved her before we had children, my level of appreciation only grew. She’s a special human being, and I’m eternally grateful to have her.

Q: How demoralizing or scary was it when you broke your leg in high school?

A: It was a big deal to me around the time. We were closing in on my senior season, we had a really good team. When it happened I was devastated, and didn’t really know if I was going to be able to play at all that year … but I think it’s another one of those things that I’m grateful for. It kind of forced me to make the decision to go to college, which I knew was going to be a tough decision whether I wanted to sign out of high school [as a 28-round pick by the Red Sox in 2014] or not. I believe there’s things that happen for a reason, and obviously the 18-year-old sitting there with a broken leg thought the world was ending, but as I continued to get further and further away from it, there were silver linings that came out of it that I am very grateful for.

Q: Whatever comes to mind: Francisco Lindor.

A: Consistent … leader … unwavering .

Q: Mark Vientos.

A: Exciting … young … potential … good kid … professional.

Q: Francisco Alvarez.

A: El Troll is one of the nicknames we have for him … sparkplug … energy … confidence … belief … intentioned … willingness to learn.

Q: “OMG.”

A: Oh my God! You’ve got your things throughout the year that are baseball-related or non-baseball-related that just brings a team together, and I think that’s something for us — whether it’s using it as a win song, or having the sign in the dugout, playing it when guys hit a homer — it’s something that’s apart of this team, and something that has continued to help us bond and create the atmosphere that we have.

Q: If you could test your skills against any hitter in MLB history, who would it be?

A: Ted Williams or George Brett.

Q: If you could duel any pitcher in MLB history?

A: Tom Seaver or Roger Clemens.

Q: Clemens spoke to your Oregon team in preseason of your junior year.

A: I think for him a lot of it is obviously mentality … the talent and the arsenal and all that was there, but the attack on the hitters, the aggressiveness. I think it’s definitely something that elevated him above everyone else.

Q: You struck out 20 against Arizona State.

A: Yeah, I would love to do it again. Something like that, it’s similar to a no-hitter or something like that, where there’s kind of a perfect storm that hits. It’s kind of a result of just making good pitches and getting after guys, and having a good game plan.

Q: Describe your growth spurt in eighth grade.

A: I think the biggest thing for me was kind of as I continued to grow getting used to my body, getting used to the changes that were happening, and it took me a while. It didn’t really take until college until I fully kind of got used to it.

Q: Who are athletes in other sports you admire?

A: [Tom] Brady, Tiger Woods, M.J. [Michael Jordan] and Kobe [Bryant].

Q: Who are some left-handed pitchers you admired growing up?

A: Randy Johnson is a big one … Andy Pettitte, Jon Lester … [Johan] Santana was a big one.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Kobe.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Ferris Bueller’ Day Off.”

Q: Favorite actors?

A: Bradley Cooper, Will Ferrell.

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?

A: One that I’ve seen in person, Zach Bryan. One that I haven’t seen yet would be Luke Combs.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: A good steak dinner with some sides, maybe some mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts.

Q: Pitching in New York?

A: I love it. There’s nothing better than winning in New York and having success. And when you’re not doing well they’re going to let you know. The fans expect a certain brand of baseball. The guys in the clubhouse have the highest expectations for us. We hold ourselves inside the clubhouse to a very high standard. So I think we’re in line with the fans in terms of the brand of baseball that we want to put out there. When they get behind you and they’re supporting you, there’s no better feeling than walking off the mound to a crowd that has for your back like they have.

Q: What is your best goosebump Mets moment?

A: I would say the night that we clinched the playoff in ’22 in Milwaukee. It was [Max] Scherzer’s 200th win, and it was the day that we had clinched the playoffs.

Q: Do you visualize winning a World Series?

A: Yeah, that’s definitely solely that I have envisioned and something that every year we’re chasing.

Q: Tell me what you see in that visualization.

A: I think one thing, especially being here in New York, is looking at some of the old pictures, whether it’s ’69 or ’86 or some of the Yankees’ championships, the parade of just sharing that moment with the city … but I think first off is when you get that final out, you got the dog pile, you’ve got that moment of finally getting to the top of the mountain and being the last team standing, enjoying that moment with the guys, and all the people that were involved in getting to that point.