New Mets pitching coach, Dave Eiland, held his first Spring Training press conference with his new team. In it, he discussed multiple aspects of the pitching staff.

However, the most notable, by far, was what he said regarding Matt Harvey:

“Well, mechanically, I’ll be honest with you. It looks to me like he got in some bad habits, simply because he had some injuries. And he was probably doing something. It looks to me like he was doing something with his lower half, to help his upper half, which is his arm. So he got in some bad habits. He’s aware of it. We’ve talked about it. We’ve looked at film.”

Rich Coutinho of 98.7 ESPN actually said he saw Harvey during his BP session and said it looked like the righty was throwing at more of an angle when delivering the ball and that it led to increased late movement as a result.

This would be much welcomed as last season, was by far Harvey’s worst. The 28-year old went 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA, 1.694 WHIP, and 6.37 FIP in 92.2 innings. He also finished with 47 walks as compared to only 67 strikeouts in 2017.

The previous quote suggests, though, that his lack of success could have, in part, been attributed to some “bad habits” he developed. From what it sounds like, Eiland believes he was overcompensating with the lower half of his body to help make it easier for him to throw.

Eiland continued to say that they have worked on it in camp and what he hopes this will lead to:

“To get him back to the level of 2013? Certainly, that’s our goal.  He’s healthy, he’s done his work this winter, he’s in good shape physically and mentally.”

Well, if the Mets were able to get Harvey back to 2013 form, the team would have an ace.

The right-hander went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA, 0.931 WHIP, 2.01 FIP, while striking out 191 batters in 178.1 innings before going down in August of that season as he required Tommy John Surgery.

Mets fans would be thrilled, though, to just see 2015 Harvey.

The 28-year old went 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA, 1.o19 WHIP, and 3.05 FIP. That season, he finished with 188 strikeouts as compared to only 37 walks in 189.1 innings.

While both of these forms of Harvey would be welcomed, it is going to take Harvey facing actual batters in a game for the Mets faithful to believe that the “Dark Knight” is back.

The reports that they appear to have found a mechanical issue for Harvey is actually very encouraging, though, as it is something that can be corrected. Had they not found this issue, the Mets would have been relying simply on a year removed from a procedure to fix Thoracic Outlet Syndrome being enough to allow Harvey to figure it out in 2018.

Thoughts from Joe D.

If this new arm angle and mechanical fix by Dave Eiland truly brings Matt Harvey back to his 2013 All-Star form, Eiland should get a bronze statue in front of Citi Field. (Right next to the Tom Seaver statue?)

Honestly, I’d be thrilled if he returns to his 2015 form. If that were to happen, the Mets would be a lock for the postseason and may even make a real challenge for unseating the Washington Nationals atop the National League East.

I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, but if one of Matt Harvey, Steven Matz or Zack Wheeler can deliver an ace-like performance in 2018, it would give the Mets the best 1-2-3 punch among all starting rotations in the game. And it’s not far-fetched that it could happen.

Now all of that said, I don’t want to make too much of all this spring training hype and propaganda that’s currently running rampant in Port St. Lucie and all the other 29 major league camps. This is the time of year where daily fantastical claims are all part of the enthusiasm and optimism that spring training brings.

But man, I’d give almost anything to experience the thrill and excitement of Harvey Day again whenever No. 33 takes the mound. And if anyone can comeback from his injuries and return to dominance, it’s definitely Matt Harvey who has done it before. Sometime you just gotta believe,