Post columnist Steve Serby fired some fastballs to Mets reliever Bobby Parnell during a Q&A session.

Q: Describe emotional ups and downs following your Tommy John surgery in 2014.
A: It’s definitely emotionally taxing. The physical side of that was pretty much laid out. You know what you have to do, all the benchmarks you have to hit. What they don’t tell you is that you’re gonna be by yourself in Florida, in a non-competitive atmosphere, and that you’re gonna have to pick yourself up mentally. You’re not gonna have anybody beside you pushing you or anything like that, you’re gonna have to do everything yourself. There’s trainers down there that try to push you, but as a professional athlete, you want to be competitive, and you’re just not there, you don’t have that competitive atmosphere, that’s the toughest part.

Q: What were some of the low points for you emotionally?
A: I’d say the first four months when you’re not throwing … you’re doing the same activity day in and day out. It’s just a monotonous, monotonous rehab process. About the week before you’re getting ready to throw, and you’re wondering, “Am I even healthy enough to throw?” at that four-month mark. There’s a lot of doubt at that time. I’d say that’s probably the hardest part, is just not knowing if you’re gonna be able to pitch again. And then the second time is probably after you’ve been throwing good in the field. … It was about six months of throwing in the outfield before I even got on the mound. You don’t realize that your body’s throwing downhill now instead on flat ground. You have to get your body to throw down that mound again, and you gotta relearn everything. The trainers did their job, the rehab coordinator did his job. It was up to me just to push myself through it.

Q: Describe your wife, Meagan.
A: She’s always had my back and always pushed me, and always had an ear for what I had to say.

Q: Are you proud of yourself that you made it back?
A: It was definitely a long road. Very happy to be back, very happy to be where I’m at right now, physically and emotionally and helping the team, so yeah, 100 percent proud of myself.

Q: Retired players always miss the camaraderie.
A: Being in the clubhouse, you’ll never have that experience again, I don’t think, outside of baseball, because it’s one job that you can just hang out with your buddies and go out there and fight together.

Q: Sounds almost like being a firefighter in a way.
A: Yeah, 100 percent. My brother and father are firefighters. Probably what I would be doing if I wasn’t playing baseball.

Q: Do you and Matt Harvey compare notes about your Tommy John surgeries?
A: Yeah we talk. I’m about six months behind him, so I like to pick his brain about how he felt at certain times.

Q: And what did he tell you about where you are in your recovery?
A: If I’m having a bad week or a little dead arm or something like that, he’s like, “Yeah, probably around that time I had the same thing.” Obviously, he’s pitched great, and everything’s good with him.

Q: So he’s an example of where you can be and where you want to be, right?
A: Yeah, positive influence, yeah. If I keep going in the right direction and keep staying on my rehab and doing everything I need to do, it shows that the surgery isn’t gonna beat you.

Q: Do you miss throwing 100 miles an hour?
A: I miss the excitement of it. I feel like I can still get hitters out. I feel like I can bounce back a little bit better day-to-day without throwing 100, but yeah, I mean, that’s something to talk about for sure.

Q: Do you think you’ll ever be able to throw 100 again?
A: Yeah, I think I could. That’s not high on the priority list right now. Right now, just looking mid-90s. … I still feel like I got a lot left in the tank, and still going in the right direction as far as my rehab. Maybe down the road, but I wouldn’t say near term.

Q: What was wrong with Jacob deGrom at the All-Star game?
A: I think he was a little hepped up — I think he should of done it in nine pitches (laugh).

Q: There’s no excuse for throwing one ball.
A: Oh yeah, I don’t know how you throw that one ball in that situation, it’s unbelievable, you gotta go out there and throw strikes in the bullpen.

Q: How would you explain why he’s become an All-Star?
A: Every since the day I met him, he’s been a nose-to-the-dirt hard worker, down home country kid that just wants to go out there and play baseball. He’s not out there to impress, he’s not out there for the hype or anything like that, he just wants to play ball. He doesn’t go out there and look for the fame and success, he just wants to play ball, and that’s what makes him who he is.

Q: How does his mentality compare to Harvey’s?
A: They’re bulldogs on the mound, and they want nothing to do but win.

Q: Are you surprised Noah Syndergaard has been as intimidating and dominant as he has been?
A: No. Have you seen that guy in person (laugh)? As soon as he steps on the mound, he’s intimidating. His arm’s unbelievable. That ball comes out of there very hard, very quick, he hides it well. I’m not surprised at all by his success.

Q: Of the three, who is the best hitter?
A: Syndergaard’s got a lot of pop. Harvey’s got a home run, too. But I think your day-in, day-out guy is gonna be deGrom. He played shortstop in college. But I think the power guy’s probably Syndergaard.

Q: Why don’t you grow your hair like deGrom?
A: It’s too hot. That’s too much upkeep. The beard’s not much, you just kind of just brush it down.

Q: Describe Bartolo Colon at 42.
A: The Energizer Bunny, man, every day he’s got energy, every day he’s coming in with a smile on his face, he loves the game. He’s been a role model for these young kids. They see that they can have a bright and long if you do things right the way that he’s done. He does all the small things correctly.

Q: Kevin Plawecki.
A: Very mature. Behind the dish, he’s very confident. I have a lot of confidence throwing to him. He looks comfortable back there. I feel like he’s gonna be around the game for a long time.

Q: Why are Mets fans excited about Michael Conforto?
A: ’Cause he can hit (laugh). Man, can he hit! I played with him for a couple of months down there with the rehab process — I never saw the guy take an off-balance swing. If he fouled one off, he was on the next one. He makes adjustments quick.

Q: If you could pick the brain of any pitcher in the history of baseball, whose brain would you want to pick and why?
A: Nolan Ryan. Just ’cause the success he had. He always had a good arm. It seemed like every highlight reel you see, to be that nasty, I want to know what that feels like.

Q: If you go back in history and face one hitter to test your skills against, who would it be?
A: Mickey Mantle. I’d say him or The Babe or somebody like that in Yankee Stadium would be good.

Q: Would you have a better chance of getting them out with the Bobby Parnell who’s throwing now, or the one who threw 102.5?
A: I’m gonna say me now. I feel like I’m setting hitters up a little bit better. Back when I threw hard, I only threw hard. I got a little bit more to the arsenal now, so I’d go with what I have right now.

Q: A scouting report on Bobby Parnell the pitcher now.
A: Aggressive in the zone. He’s gonna come right at you. Curveball any time in the count. And he’s coming with the fastball in and out, and up and down.

Q: Do you still harbor ambitions of being a closer again?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I think anybody in the bullpen, that’s where they want to be. You want to be in the pressure situations. If you don’t, you don’t really belong on the baseball field. You want to be out there, you want to be the last guy on the field, and you’re gonna have the ball in your hand, and be in control at that time.

Q: What has made Jeurys Familia so effective?
A: I think his confidence. You know he’s had the stuff, he just didn’t know how to use it. Sometimes when you’re thrown in a situation where you have to believe in your stuff, it kind of pushes you a little farther along. I think you’re seeing the fruition of that, and I think you’re gonna see it for a long time.

Q: Why aren’t you on Twitter?
A: I’m not big into the social media thing. I kind of like to stay in my own little area. I feel like that’s a portal for some negative feedback, which I probably wouldn’t respond well to. I keep a positive atmosphere, and I think that helps me day in and day out.

Q: You live in Manhattan. Are you recognized when you go out?
A: No, not really (laugh).

Q: Why do you like that?
A: I like to be able to get out and walk around. Every now and then, somebody’ll recognize me, but not too often. David [Wright] gets recognized everywhere he goes. It’s always positive, but that’s gotta be taxing. … I just don’t think I have that in me. David’s above and beyond with that, it’s pretty impressive to see.

Q: What drives you now?
A: I put a lot into this, my family’s put a lot into it, my parents have put a lot into it. I still have a lot to prove. I want to show my teammates that the two years matter to me, that it wasn’t just something that I cruised through. I want to show them that I can compete still … just make my teammates proud of me, my family proud of me.

Q: Tell me what your confidence level is that the Mets will make the playoffs.
A: Very high. I think it’s the highest it’s been since I’ve been here.

Q: What would it mean to you to finally make the playoffs?
A: It would mean everything. I feel like I’m ingrained in the clubhouse. It’s been a long few years going through the mud and the muck. Making the playoffs would make it all worth it.

Q: You enjoy pitching in New York?
A: I do. I feel like we got the greatest fans. I don’t want to win anywhere else except for New York.