Jul
17
2012

Ricciardi Non-Committal On Harvey Promotion

An article by Joe D

Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi was one of the Mets entourage on hand as prospect Matt Harvey pitched 6.2 innings and allowed two runs in what was tabbed as his audition for a possible major league debut this Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“He’s a good one,” said Ricciardi, who sat behind home plate. “But he didn’t have his best stuff tonight. He showed me a lot by competing.”

Asked if he thought Harvey would get the ball on Saturday over 41-year-old Miguel Batista, Ricciardi said, “I don’t know. I’ve got to call Sandy (Alderson). We’ll see. I walk away tonight with a lot of good things, even though he wasn’t as good as I’ve seen him.” (Star-Ledger):

I got the sense that Harvey did not do enough to earn the promotion. He sure as heck came out last night like gangbusters – hurling five no-hit innings to start the game. But two runs crossed the plate after that and his four walks and a hit-batter raised some concern that his command may need more work.

Before the game, I asked some of our writers if they thought Harvey should be promoted:

Mike Barrett - No, they shouldnt. After watching him and cutting up his highlights extensively, I just do not think he is ready for the big show. A promotion could mess with him mentally and set him back. September should be the earliest we see Harvey.

Fonzie13 – Yes they should promote Harvey if they feel he’s ready. He may need a little more seasoning to work on his changeup but right now he has two plus pitches which he has shown much better command of lately and I think he can get big league hitters out. He’s being asked to step in for the number five starter so he won’t have the added pressure of saving the franchise that a Steven Strasburg had with Washington. I’m not comparing him to Stras but you know what I mean. Plus he has the confidence and maturity to handle failure if he fails and has to go back down.

Joe Spector – I’m wary of it because of the recent history this team has had when it comes to rushing talent. Take Pelfrey, Mejia and even today’s team with Neiuwenhuis. Sometimes rolling the dice pays off some, case in point with Neiuwenhuis. Sometimes it blows up in your face. Harvey is at least in AAA and has had some exposure to the highest minor league talent. The rumblings about Wheeler being promoted as well, who’s still in AA, are just insane. I would listen to what Wally Backman has to say about Harvey and go from there but have ZERO expectations.

XtreemIcon – Not yet. He’s behind Hefner on my depth chart. Hefner’s pitched well, minus that one SD game, and we know there will be a couple of “SD games” for every rookie, including Harvey. So I’ll leave Harvey down for a few more starts until we see if Hefner can fill in. If not, then Harvey by August.

NYMets945 – While I have believed all year it is not time for Matt Harvey to come to the majors, I do believe if he excels Monday night for the Bisons, it is now time. Although Harvey will endure some bumps, he is a much better option than 41 year old Miguel Batista, Jeremy Hefner, and Chris Schwinden who have all struggled as starters thus far in 2012 for Mets. Harvey is currently 7-4 with 3.39 era with 102 K in 98.1 innings. While his WHIP is still a little high at 1.31 on the season, his K/9 is 9.34 which is down from HiA and AA but overall still good for a pitcher who struggled at the beginning of season. Harvey has pitched better as the months have past with 4.85 era in April, 3.26 in May, and 2.45 in June; July he currently is at 3.00 but has only one start.

Jim Mancari – Now is the time to promote Matt Harvey. Give the kid a chance. He’s bound to be better than Miguel Batista. The best way for these young pitchers to learn is to be thrown into the fire (given they have adequate minor league experience, which Harvey does). With Dillon Gee out, we’ll need another reliable arm down the stretch. Rather than trade Harvey to acquire a proven starting pitcher, the Mets can make an immediate investment in their future by promoting this guy.

Elliot Teichman – No. He could use some more starts and just because the Mets are in the thick of it this year doesn’t mean they should gamble the next few years.

Sean Kenny - Yes, the Mets should promote Matt Harvey right now based on the basics of baseball. If a better pitcher exists to start in the minors than the available options, which is the case as for Harvey as opposed to Batista or Hefner it should be done. Harvey may not be 100% in terms of his developmental scale, but Tim Lincecum was at a similar level when he came up to the big leagues. Tim rode an electric fastball and a hammer curve, with a decent changeup until he refined it all – at the MLB level. Harvey can only stand to learn how to get hitters out at the highest level of competition by facing them.

About the Author: Joe DeCaro

I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.

9 Comments + Add Comment

jdon July 17, 2012 at 9:05 am

I saw him. I could not get a good read on his curve iwth that center field camera angle. But everyone says the curve is major league. To me his fastball looks straight, so command is essential. Apparently Toledo is a soft offensive team as well. Is he better than Batista? Of course. Would it damage him to bring him up at this point? I don’t know—maybe.
- srt July 17, 2012 at 9:10 am
  
  Apparently, you’re not alone there. Reading some articles today and the opinions seem to be all over the place.
  
  Jeff Bradley of the Star Ledger leads off with:
  Matt Harvey not sharp in big audition
  
  and finishes with:
  ‘That day is coming. But probably not Saturday.’
  
  Ed Coleman says:
  It’s Time For Mets To Give Matt Harvey The Ball
  ‘Look, Zack Wheeler — coming off a six-hit shutout for Binghamton against Erie – might be more ready than Harvey, but that’s not happening right now, folks. Harvey is older, more mature, and has the demeanor and personality to handle failure as well as success, the ups and downs that are inevitable with young prospects.’
gary s. July 17, 2012 at 9:09 am

The only other choice at the MLB level is Batista.I don’t get the whole debate.One start is going to destroy Harvey’s career?Does he have to throw a shutout every start at triple a to be deemed ready?Hand him the ball on Saturday and get it over with already.Batista walked FOUR BATTERS IN AN INNING AND A THIRD IN ATLANTA!!This whole debate gets dumber by the day.I watched Harvey for few innings last nite on SNY.Has a nice easy motion, throws mid nineties and has a big curveball.Show some trust in the guy and start him vs Dodgers on Saturday
- NJstuckinTX July 17, 2012 at 9:19 am
  
  They could trade for Liriano… I jest, just a bit, but Sandy actually pulling the trigger on a trade is option B (and probably the most needed). If you call up Harvey and he struggles, you’ll need a replacement (which Bautista is not). If he excels, he’ll cap out on innings, so you’ll need a replacement (which Bautista is not). Either way, you’ll need another starter at one point or another, so might as well reach out and touch someone for that person now rather than later.
  
  Now, scream all you want if he will or won’t make a trade, but i truly feel a trade is going to be needed, as I don’t expect Gee back this year. Maybe he is, but at that point, you have 2 others pitchers in your rotation with reconstructed shoulders who are a pick off attempt to first away from being DL bound. Just saying….
  - stick July 17, 2012 at 9:38 am
    
    I think Batista is a smokescreen. IMO, he was only ever a real option if Gee was just missing the 15 days, and they needed 1 fill-in start. As soon as it became a permanent gig, batista was out of the mix.
    
    So, I would put the options (not neccesarily in this order) as harvy, hefner, and a trade. And very likely, the trade would not cover them this Saturday. Leaving them with harvey up, or bring Hefner back in the interim.
METS62FAN July 17, 2012 at 9:46 am

MANAGING EXPECTATION LEVELS IS AT LEAST AS IMPORTANT AS MANAGING THEIR COMPETITIVE POTENTIAL FOR INSTANCE IF TEAM MNGT EXPECTS GOODEN/SEAVERESQUE PITCHING FROM HARVEY; I BELIEVE HE’S DOOMED TO FAILURE IN THEIR EYES; HOWEVER, IF IT’S CONE/DARLINGESQUE I BELIEVE HE’LL FLOURISH FROM AN IMMEDIATE CALLUP.

I CERTAINLY DON’T ANTICIPATE ANY “FUTURE HOFer” BUZZ AFTER HARVEY’S FIRST SEASON, WHENEVER THAT COMES; BUT HIS BEING RECOGNIZED AS A LEGITIMATE FRONTENDER ALONG MET LINES OF DARLING OR CONE PERHAPS EVEN A KOOSMAN
THE ONLY QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED IS;

WHICH AVAILABLE OPTION IS MORE LIKELY TO BETTER REPLACE GEE’S ANTICIPATED PRODUCTION HARVEY OR BATISTA?

WHICH BETTER SATISFIES THE “GEE SPOT” IN THE ROTATION? PUN MOST CERTAINLY INTENDED LMAO.
Arnab July 17, 2012 at 10:34 am

If I were in the front office, I would want to bring him up while the Mets were still in the race, in order to get a read on how he handles that situation. Sure he could come up in September, but if the Mets are 5-10 games under .500 at that point because of Miguel Batista pitching the way he does, how much are they really going to learn about his makeup, especially if this team plans on being competitive the next few years and beyond? Like gary said, one start isn’t going to ruin his whole career, and if he’s only going to get one (obviously unlikely), I would rather it be while the Mets are still playing for something.
jdon July 17, 2012 at 11:01 am

I agree that SE[tember callups rarely reveal a lot. If a guy is being used a lot in September, his team is often out of it. If you want to find out if he can handle it, bring him up now. They may have other reasons, known only to them, for holding him back a bit.
Metsie July 17, 2012 at 2:44 pm

If they were truly serious about looking at Harvey they would not limit thier view to one start!

Harvey has in the past showed a but of nerves when his MLB promotion was on the line.
You need to cure him of that.

I bet if they go to see his next start they will see a more comfortable and less nervous pitcher as the second time around he will put less into the importance of the game.

Here is my prediction if they do bring him up.

He will get rocked in his first MLB start and everyone will say he’s not ready and maybe even send him back down!
But give him a second start and you will see the guy your likely to get and secure his promotion for the rest of the season.

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