Matt Harvey (baseball)

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Matt Harvey
DSC 0163 Matt Harvey.jpg
New York Mets – No. 33
Starting pitcher
Born: (1989-03-27) March 27, 1989 (age 24)
New London, Connecticut
Bats: Right Throws: Right 
MLB debut
July 26, 2012 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
(through May 17, 2013)
Win–loss record     8–5
Earned run average     2.12
Strikeouts     138
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Mets record for most strikeouts in major league debut (11)
  • First player in modern baseball era to record 10+ strikeouts and record two hits in his debut
  • NL Player of the Week (April 8–14, 2013)
  • NL Pitcher of the Month (April 2013)

Matthew Edward Harvey (born March 27, 1989) is an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Harvey made his major league debut on July 26, 2012 for the Mets against the Arizona Diamondbacks recording a win and setting a franchise pitching debut record of 11 strikeouts.[1] He previously played at Fitch Senior High School in Groton, Connecticut and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Contents

College career [edit]

Harvey was drafted out of Fitch Senior High School in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but opted not to sign. He instead attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he pitched for three years as a Tar Heel.[2][3] During his collegiate career, Harvey went 22-7 with 3.73 ERA in 238.2 innings.[3][4] He ranks ninth all-time in UNC history in strikeouts (263) and 10th in wins (22).[3]

Professional career [edit]

New York Mets [edit]

Harvey was selected as the seventh overall pick by the New York Mets in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft[3][5] and signed by general manager Omar Minaya. Harvey was listed at 6' 4" and 210 lbs, batting and throwing right-handed.[6][7]

Minor leagues [edit]

2011-12 [edit]

In 2011, Harvey's first professional season in the Mets minor-league system, he spent time between the single-A St. Lucie Mets and the double-A Binghamton Mets.

With St. Lucie in the Florida State League (FSL), he went 8–2 with a 2.37 ERA and recorded 92 strikeouts in 76 innings.[8] His performance garnered him two FSL Pitcher of the Week awards and he was selected as a FSL Mid-Season All-Star.[8] Although selected to appear in the FSL All-Star game, Harvey did not pitch because he was promoted to Double-A Binghamton.[9]

In the Eastern League with Binghamton, he went 5–3 with a 4.53 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 59.2 innings. Harvey also pitched in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game, recording a save for the winning U.S. team over the World team.[10]

Harvey was ranked as the Mets organization's second best prospect in 2012 and the 34th overall best prospect by MLB.com.[11] He was invited to spring training by the Mets that year but did not make the team. Instead, he was promoted to the club's triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons of the International League (IL).[12]

In the first half of his 2012 season at triple-A, Harvey went 7–4 with a 3.39 ERA in 18 starts.[13] That performance earned him IL Mid-Season All-Star honors. His stronge pitching, plus injuries to major leaguers Mike Pelfrey and Dillon Gee, put him in contention for the fifth spot in the Mets rotation.[13] Despite spending more time pitching at triple-A than other top draft picks — 105 innings, recording a 3.34 ERA and striking out over a batter per inning through mid-July[14] — the Mets front office (headed by general manager Sandy Alderson) did not want to promote Harvey until his consistency and control were better.[15]

Major leagues [edit]

2012 [edit]

After an injury to staff ace Johan Santana and replacements to the Mets' major-league rotation failed to turn in quality starts, Alderson and Mets manager Terry Collins backtracked and decided to promote Harvey to the majors, ending his stay with the Bisons with a 7–5 record and 3.68 ERA.[16] Harvey subsequently stayed in the rotation for the remainder of the season as the fifth starter.[17]

In Harvey's debut, a July 26 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, he pitched 5.1 innings, gave up three hits and three walks while recording 11 strikeouts.[1] Harvey recorded his first major-league strikeout with a 89 mph slider on a 1–2 count against the first batter he faced, Gerardo Parra of the Diamondbacks.[1] He then had his first major league hit, a two-out double on a 2–1 82 mph curveball off Wade Miley in the top of the following inning.[1] Harvey set a Mets franchise record for strikeouts in a pitching debut (11) and became the first player in modern baseball history (since 1900) to strike out 10 or more batters and get two hits in his major-league debut.[1] After the game, Mets manager Terry Collins said:[1]

“I haven't seen 98 out of a starting pitcher in quite some time. He's lived up to exactly what everybody's talked about.”

In his second major-league start, against the San Francisco Giants, Harvey pitched six innings, gave up two earned runs, three walks and struck out seven in his first loss.[18] His 18 total strikeouts were a Mets record for a rookie over his first two games of his career.[18] After three straight losses, Harvey was able to earn his second win against the Cincinnati Reds on August 16.[19] In his next two starts, Harvey got a no-decision and a win against the Rockies and Phillies, respectively.[20][21] Both were quality starts and he struck out 15 combined in the games. Over his first 15 at-bats in seven starts, he posted impressive batting numbers with a .462 average, two doubles and three RBI.

Harvey then went on to lose his next two starts and record a no-decision in his last outing of the season on September 19. Despite more opportunities to pitch, Mets management ended his season due to an innings-pitched limit. He finished his inaugural season with a 3-5 record, a 2.73 ERA over 10 starts in which he pitched 59.1 innings and recorded 70 strikeouts. He surrendered 42 hits and 26 walks.

2013 [edit]

In 2013, Harvey continued to garner accolades for his arm strength and control. New York sports radio host Mike Francesa has compared Harvey to standouts like Justin Verlander, Andy Pettite and Curt Schilling. After watching Harvey's first two starts of the 2013 season, during which he struck out 19 in 14 innings, former Mets manager Bobby Valentine said Harvey had the potential to be "the best Met pitcher to ever wear the uniform." [22] His April performance garnered him Pitcher of the Month honors. In six April starts, Harvey posted a 1.56 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched; opposing batters hit .153 against him.

On April 13, Matt Harvey had a no-hit bid through 6.2 innings against the Minnesota Twins until Justin Morneau hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to break it up and end the shutout. On May 7, Harvey retired the first 20 Chicago White Sox batters he faced until Alex Rios broke up his perfect game with an infield single. Rios hit a grounder to the right of shortstop Ruben Tejada, who made a desperate jump throw to first base, but the ball arrived a step too late.

Awards and honors [edit]

Minor leagues [edit]

Major league [edit]

Pitching style [edit]

Harvey is a power pitcher with a 6 foot 4 inch (1.93 m), 225 pound frame that is suitable for heavy workloads and can generate great arm speed. He has a four-pitch repertoire that include a fastball, slider, curveball and change-up. He throws his fastball in both four-seam and two-seam varieties, where it is consistently in the range of 93 to 96 mph (tops out at 99 mph) with movement; it is considered a plus pitch.[24][25] Harvey usually relies on his slider, which comes in at 86–90 mph and at times is a plus pitch. It gets good rotation and tilts when thrown well, but will occasionally flatten out.[24][25] In high school, Harvey's curveball was an overhand power curve that had plus potential.[24][25] But he doesn't throw it frequently in the majors because he favors the slider. Harvey's fourth option is the change-up, which he commands well in the range of 84 to 88 mph. His change-up is considered an average pitch.[24][25]

Personal [edit]

Harvey was born in New London, Connecticut and grew up in Mystic, Connecticut. He has two older sisters. Harvey played summer baseball for numerous travel teams across the country, including the South Florida Bandits, the Midland Redskins, and the East Coast Grays. He was ranked as the number four national prospect coming out of high school and the number two right-handed pitcher overall. His father played baseball and football for the University of Connecticut, where he reached the 1972 College World Series. Harvey majored in sports administration while at the University of North Carolina. He is a fan of the New York Rangers.

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Harvey's 11-K debut slams door on Mets' skid". MLB.com. Retrieved 27 July 2012. 
  2. ^ "Amato: No Regrets For Harvey - University of North Carolina Athletics". http://www.tarheelblue.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Mets sign first-round Draft pick RHP Matt Harvey". Mets.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  4. ^ "Player Bio: Matt Harvey". http://www.tarheelblue.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  5. ^ "Harvey Chosen Seventh Overall In MLB Draft". http://www.tarheelblue.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  6. ^ "Mets come to terms with Harvey". NY Daily News. 
  7. ^ "New York Mets prospect eager to get to work". ESPN. 
  8. ^ a b "Matt Harvey Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights". MiLB.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 
  9. ^ "Bour wins All-Star Home Run Derby". MiLB.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 
  10. ^ "Harvey gets save in futures game". ESPN. 
  11. ^ "2012 Prespect Watch". MLB.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  12. ^ "Mets prospect Matt Harvey disappointed not to make team out of spring training". http://www.nj.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  13. ^ a b "Matt Harvey might be promoted to starting rotation". Newsday.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 
  14. ^ "Harvey's Peers Didn't Get Stuck in Triple-A". WallStreetJournal.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 
  15. ^ "Matt Harvey won't be promoted by Mets to start Saturday". newsday.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 
  16. ^ July 2012 "Harvey set for Major League debut on Thursday". 
  17. ^ "Terry discusses Matt Harvey, expectations, and plan". 
  18. ^ a b August 2012 "Harvey impressive again, but Mets fall to Giants". 
  19. ^ August 2012 "Harvey does it all as Mets win Cincy finale". 
  20. ^ August 2012 "Harvey shows Mets gritty side in win over Phils". 
  21. ^ August 2012 "Harvey sharp, but offense, 'pen come up short". 
  22. ^ Best, Neil. "A night with Bobby Valentine on the set of SNY". Newsday.com. Retrieved 12 April 2013. 
  23. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130415&content_id=44847416&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
  24. ^ a b c d "Extended scouting report: Matt Harvey, rhp, North Carolina". http://rule4report.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 
  25. ^ a b c d "2010 Draft Scouting Reports: Matt Harvey". MLB.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012. 

External links [edit]
New York Mets current roster
Active roster
Inactive roster
Disabled list
Coaching staff
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