The Mets have a 3.81 team ERA, but for a lot of people that's not good enough. And as LoHud.com's John Delcos reports,
Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson isn't talking ...
PHOENIX -- Mets manager Willie Randolph defended Rick Peterson and denied there was a gag order to prevent the pitching coach from talking with the media.
Beyond Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez being on the disabled list, the Mets' pitching staff has more issues than five years of Sports Illustrated, and that's Peterson's responsibility.
Flip a coin when Oliver Perez pitches; Mike Pelfrey has given up the lead in three straight games and can't find the plate with a GPS system; John Maine has been inconsistent; and relievers Aaron Heilman and Jorge Sosa have been raked with alarming frequency.
Randolph mentioned none of this when asked about Peterson.
"He does a fine job," Randolph said. "He always does a fine job. He's one of the best pitching coaches in the game."
He's also been one of the quietest, directing questioners to go through the media-relations department.
Peterson is the only uniformed member of the team who won't answer questions.
Club spokesman Jay Horwitz said "there's no edict," preventing Peterson from talking.
At first, Randolph wanted to know why he was being asked the question, then said, "I don't have gag orders with my staff."
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Peterson's first season with the Mets was 2004. In his four full seasons, the Mets have finished seventh, third, third and seventh in the league in ERA. Peterson might not be a miracle worker, but if you're ranking pitching coaches he's got to figure in the top five, right? Considering what his staffs did in Oakland? And in fact, this year the Mets have the sixth-best ERA in the National League. Granted, Peterson doesn't deserve a great deal of credit for
Johan Santana's 2.91 ERA. And Pelfrey, the Mets' youngest starter, really has been atrocious (11 strikeouts, 14 walks). But it's certainly too early to start thinking about dumping Peterson. When the season's over, if the Mets don't have one of the better staffs in the league -- factoring in the defense, of course -- then maybe it's time to think about making a change.
Even then, I would expect Peterson to hire on with another club and continue building his reputation. Pitching coaches, after all, probably are much like managers: just because they're not good in one spot doesn't mean they can't be good in another.
The only thing that's odd about this whole thing is Peterson's reticence, as he's become somewhat famous over the years for his willingness to talk to anyone about pitching, and at great length. So when I read that he's not talking, I wonder if he's not enjoying his job as much as he used to. Which might suggest -- again, if the Mets don't do what everyone expects this season -- that Peterson will be somewhere else next spring.
Rob Neyer
