
Whether Matt Harvey comes even relatively close to the starter he was in 2015 or is a carbon copy of who he was this past season remains to be seen, but his agent Scott Boras is going to try everything to make sure it’s the former.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported Friday that Boras will have a “substantial” throwing program for the right-hander this winter in the agent’s Southern California sports institute.
“Matt has been blessed with a lower half that is one of the strongest we have ever seen,” Boras said, according to the Post. “He is an amazingly strong athlete. So, from our standpoint the clay is there to build the sculpture. His velocity is more than enough at 95 (mph) and he has a ceiling above that.
“This is about command and command does relate to conditioning and strength. What Matt went through with the TOS (thoracic outlet syndrome), he did not have the type of conditioning last offseason you do when you have normal health. He will have that chance this offseason.”
Despite having the worst ERA for a qualifying starter in Mets history, general manager Sandy Alderson plans to tender Harvey a contract before he hits the open market next winter.
The hope is that he can return to even a portion of the dominant pitcher he once was and Boras thinks he has a solid foundation to build off.
“Matt is very committed to getting his abilities to a place they were before and he wants to get back there again,” Boras said. “Like a radio signal can be strong, but some times there is interference, it is our job to get him back to the right frequency. The great thing about experience and time is you learn through mistakes the right course to take.
“I think Matt’s direction is one where he is fighting for something he really wants. There is a level of understanding that experience has brought him that ability creates opportunity, but ability alone is not the complete guide to success.”
The stints at Boras’ sports facility will be to “have a lot of reps to get his fastball command back and get his release point down.”
For Harvey, it will be an uphill battle. He finished this year with a 5-7 record, 6.70 ERA, 6.37 FIP, 1.694 WHIP and -1.1 WAR. But Boras, who is known to get the most out of his clients, will try to get him healthy so he can secure a semi-lucrative contract for the 2019 season.





