I’ll be honest, after Matt Harvey‘s first two starts of the spring, I wanted to write an article raising the question of whether or not he could be effective without his velocity.
However, the optimist within me prevailed (as it usually does) and I held off. I was rewarded yesterday watching Harvey consistently sit at 95-96 mph and occasionally hitting 97 mph, showing flashes of 2013.
He was pounding the outside corner-knees with his slider, his fastball had great life on it, and he seemed to possess the swagger we have come to expect of him when he takes the mound.
Obviously it is still a work in progress as he returns from last July’s thoracic surgery, but yesterday’s start was a huge leap forward. Harvey spoke to reporters about his satisfaction.
“Playing catch and throwing bullpens and preparing for a season, you really don’t know kind of how things are going to go,” Harvey said.
“Obviously, the numbers early in spring really didn’t and still don’t explain how I feel about moving forward. But I couldn’t be happier where I am now and moving forward. I feel I’m ready for a good season.”
“Each start, I definitely started feeling much better each time,” he continued. “That was a big step, probably the biggest so far this spring.”
Terry Collins was in complete agreement with Harvey’s self-assessment saying, “He’s been looking better each time out.”
In six quality innings, Harvey allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four, lowering his spring ERA to 5.89. It will be exciting to see which Matt Harvey we will get to watch this season.
While 2013 Harvey might be too much to ask for, 2015 Harvey would be splendid. If he can come back from Tommy John like in 2015 and go 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA, I don’t see why he can’t put up similar numbers this year.
