Peterson To Mets With 20th Pick
06/12/17 | Baseball, @GoDucksMoseley
Junior left-hander David Peterson on Monday became Oregon's first player drafted in the first round since 2011.
When the first call came, the San Francisco Giants were about to make the No. 19 pick in the first round of the MLB draft on Monday evening.
The man who answered, Oregon left-handed pitcher David Peterson, gave little indication of the call's substance to the family and teammates surrounding him for a draft watch party in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex's dining area. But as the Giants announced their pick, Peterson put his hand to his mouth, hiding a slight smile.
One of Peterson's catchers during the past three years with the Ducks, Slade Heggen, was sitting to the UO junior's right. He had to ask. Peterson was coy.
"It went well," Peterson said of the call. "It's good news."
That good news was made official moments later, when the team with the next pick, the New York Mets, made Peterson the sixth Oregon baseball player ever taken in the first round. Peterson was taken with the same pick, No. 20 overall, as the Ducks' previous first-rounder, Tyler Anderson in 2011.
When the pick was announced on the MLB Network broadcast, the dining room erupted. Peterson covered his face with his hands, overcome with emotion, then stood to hug his mother, Shannon.
When dreams come true. David Peterson gets drafted by @Mets in the first round. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/aWYrJA8nqT
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) June 13, 2017
"It's been a dream of mine since I was 3 years old," Peterson said a few minutes later at a press conference. "To have this come true, it's an honor and a pleasure, and I'm very excited."
Peterson's selection by the Mets capped an incredible final collegiate season. A weekend starter since his freshman year, Peterson clicked in 2017 under new pitching coach Jason Dietrich, going 11-4 with a 2.51 ERA and a school-record 140 strikeouts in 100 1/3 innings, and just 15 walks.
A first-team Collegiate Baseball all-American and national player of the year semifinalist, Peterson finished second in UO history with 273 career strikeouts and sixth with 19 career wins. He was named national pitcher of the month after going 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA, 57 strikeouts and two walks in March, and on April 28 he struck out 20 in a four-hit shutout of Arizona State.
Peterson called his time at Oregon "crucial for me. It's been a dream of mine to play professional baseball, and it took me three years of development here. … It was definitely huge for me as a player as a person, and I'm very excited."
After receiving a call from the Mets organization following the pick, Peterson connected with UO coach George Horton via FaceTime. On hand in person for the draft party were Dietrich and other staff members, a dozen or so teammates and a half-dozen family members, including grandparents John and Mary Dolce, and aunt Lindsey Dolce.
Peterson was drafted for the second time, after being a 28th-round pick out of high school. He was recovering from a broken leg at that point, and used his three years at Oregon to jump into the first round, making this the fifth year in a row the Ducks had a player selected in the first five rounds.
"I think he's in a good spot," Dietrich said. "He has a good idea of what needs to get done. He just needs to continue to grow, which he will."
Dietrich called Peterson "a student of the game" with "huge aptitude," and said Peterson won't need to make many mechanical tweaks to succeed as a professional. He will need to continue to get bigger and stronger, and to make constant adjustments as hitters do likewise.
"You work hard, as a coach, trying to help them put themselves in position to enjoy this moment," Dietrich said. "How nerve-racking it is for them, it's just as bad for the coach. You just want what's best for them. So it's exciting."
