Harvey Is A Different Kind Of Mets Pitching Prospect

11 Comments + Add Comment

• Metstheory22 August 6, 2012 at 8:43 am

  You can tell he is different than most when he speaks. Very nice to hear and even if he gets beat a little you can hear he is learning.
• Donal August 6, 2012 at 9:08 am

  Everyone gets roughed up. Even proven, Hall of Fame bound veterans. Harvey took his beating and seems to be adjusting to it.

  We won’t know or sure until his next few starts. Still, I find it amusing all the amateur over analyzing is in full swing.
  • Amazin August 6, 2012 at 9:37 am

    As you DONAL in your normal infantile pathetic attacks on intelligent posters likes to demand… PROVE IT.. Take your time. Will be anxiously waiting your proof. Prove every HOFer got roughed up.
    • Des August 6, 2012 at 10:04 am

      Amazin — How long have you been watching our great game of baseball? Of course every HOF pitcher has been roughed up. In fact any pitcher who has played three months in the ‘bigs’ has been roughed up. If Donal wanted to spend the time, which I recommend he not do because it’s so time consuming, he could easily prove his point. Alternatively, I propose you name ten pitchers and you check out their individual game statistics. You do the laborious work. You’ll find that Donal was well within the mark.
• Russell Zanca August 6, 2012 at 9:30 am

  Indeed. Some Mets fans seem to love conspiracy theories. The latest was that Harvey was told what he could and couldn’t throw.

  It seems that Andrew Keh’s article from today’s NYT (which includes the quote from Harvey that Joe D cites) should put that conspiracy to rest. Worth reading:

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/sports/baseball/mets-rookie-matt-harvey-roughed-up-by-padres.html?_r=1&ref=sports
  • Seligman August 6, 2012 at 10:30 am

    Hi Russell. I read this article and commented on the thread above. It doesn’t really shed any light on what Harvey could and couldn’t throw. However I linked to another article that actually did. I tried posting it here twice but it kept going into moderation. But it did go through on the post above.
    • Russell Zanca August 6, 2012 at 10:40 am

      Thanks, Selig. I read the News article, too. Not digging in my heels here, but I think it’s a tad overblown to say what he may pitch is being dictated to him.

      I don’t doubt the the emphasis was on a variety of pitches, but the bottom line is that throwing the FB most of the time can be damaging, too–in more ways than one. ANd Harvey himself admits he didn’t execute as well as he should have. At any rate, I am looking forward to his next start and seeing how coaches and battery tinker with success.
• Mary August 6, 2012 at 9:39 am

  Harvey has already demonstrated a baseball sophistication beyond his rookie status, including noticing a teammate tipping pitches and sharing the info with pitching coach Dan Warthen. Writes Andy Martino in the Daily News:

  Warthen is on the top step of the dugout, watching one of his pitchers face the D-Backs, but there is something his veteran eye does not catch. Harvey joins him, and points to the mound. “I think his glove flashes a little bit,” the kid tells the lifer. “Do you see that?” This is not a widely known term, but Harvey understands it. When a pitcher comes set and adopts a breaking ball grip, his glove can expand, or “flash,” as his fingers move. As this happens, he tips his pitch to an astute hitter. Warthen looks at the mound, then back at Harvey. The rookie is right. “He’s as old school as he can be,” Warthen says. “Listens, watches, but doesn’t talk a lot. He’s actually a very loquacious young man, but he just follows his instincts and watches the game intently.”
  • stick August 6, 2012 at 11:18 am

    what exactly is Warthen’s value to the team? Rookies spot “tells”, Santana and Izzy have to teach guys new pitches, etc.

    If the team wants to save money, ax Warthen, and just institute “pitching coach for a day” rotation. Darling, Ojeda, Santana, etc. can all just take turns!
• stick August 6, 2012 at 11:20 am

  What he said, and even the idea of being to told to throw more changes, is exactly what I was talking about as the majors being “finishing school” for a pitcher. And why if you have most everything nailed down in the minors(the ‘stuff”), might as well come up, because no matter how long you spend down there, you still need to make the final adjustments in the majors.
• Metstheory22 August 6, 2012 at 11:39 am

  I would think most pitchers would need someone to tell them what to throw. I don’t think Harvey is in that group, from what he has said in interviews he seems to have an idea of what he wants to do.