For the second time in his short career, Matt Harvey will be returning to the mound after being shelved due to a need for serious surgery. First it was Tommy John surgery in 2013 and now most recently for thoracic outlet syndrome. His ability to recover yet again and dominate on the diamond this upcoming season could make or break his career.
The 2016 season was not kind to Harvey as he pitched to a 4-10 record with an ERA of 4.86 and a WHIP of 1.47 in 17 games started. It was a shortened season that would end for Matt on Independence Day. Mike Puma of the NY Post spoke with a team official regarding “The Dark Knight” and his next comeback.
“Two of his last three years he’s been hurt, so I’ve got to believe Matt is highly motivated, which is a good thing to have — a motivated player,” the team official said.
Harvey, 27, is a competitor, ready for any challenge as we saw in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals in Game Five. That pitcher who can retire batters with ease is still in there, it is just a matter of being able to find him again.
All signs so far have pointed to Harvey being healthy as spring training camp opens up. He will be watched over with a microscope with all hoping that there are no longer any lingering issues that may prevent him from being the stud pitcher we have come to love.
“You’re not going to know until you get into that grind,” the team official said. “You pitch a day and take a couple of days off or your side. You get in that routine for a month and you’re going to see how they do, so it’s more along the lines from our perspective we have to see, but going in, all signs are good.”
To say how big this season is for Matt would be an understatement. He will look to rebuild his stock quickly as he gets closer to his first free agency period, which will come after the 2018 season. Showing his ability to bounce back again from a major surgery once more while dominating the opposition will go a long way to building him back to the pitcher many have come to know.
An unsuccessful return to the mound, where he struggles, will be a tough pill to swallow for Harvey and the Mets. There though is no reason to believe that this will happen as he has become known to be a workhorse with a tenacious thirst for success. The Dark Knight won N.L. Comeback Player of the Year in 2015, maybe we will see that again in 2017.
