David Peterson Adds To Mets’ Pitching Pipeline

The Mets continued to stockpile young arms with college experience with the selection of Oregon lefthander David Peterson with the 20th overall pick in the draft.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Peterson went 11-4, 2.51 this season and finished second in the nation with 140 strikeouts in 100.1 innings. He walked just 15 batters.

“He had just a tremendous year this year,” Mets vice president of scouting Tommy Tanous said. “He’s one of those players, one of those pitchers that you feel like every time you saw him pitch, he kept getting better.”

Last year the Mets used their two first-round picks to select Boston College righthander Justin Dunn and Connecticut lefthander Anthony Kay, who had Tommy John surgery last summer.

So the organization hopes the seeds have been planted for the next crop of young pitchers to grow behind big league stars like Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom.

The Red Sox drafted Peterson out of high school in Aurora, Colo., in 2014, but he didn’t sign. His main weapon is a mid-90s fastball that is complemented by a sinker.

“My dream in life has always been to be a professional baseball player and play in the major leagues,” Peterson said. “Being drafted in the first round by the Mets was very exciting for me. I was very overwhelmed by joy.”

Peterson became the sixth player in Oregon history drafted in the first round and the first since the Rockies took lefthander Tyler Anderson in 2011.

Peterson had six starts this season in which he notched double digits in strikeouts. The highlight was his 20-strikeout performance against Arizona State.

“I felt like I was striking a bunch of guys out, but I didn’t know the number,” Peterson said. “It was just a night that I felt really on.”