
Just one day after Page Six reported that Matt Harvey was out partying the night before one of his bullpen appearances, more news regarding the situation has come out.
Sandy Alderson, as well as some players, have now commented on the matter, as detailed by Mike Puma of the New York Post, and the words said among them are certainly not reflecting Harvey in a positive light.
Alderson gave a somewhat loaded answer when asked whether it could be a problem, but ultimately determined that the answer is yes.
“I think it can be a problem if it affects a player’s or a pitcher’s preparation for work the following day or the next several days and I am not sure that was the case here.”
“[But] I think the other thing I have tried to keep in mind is pitching out of the bullpen is different than pitching out of the rotation and part of the preparation for that role is recognizing you can pitch any day at any time and as a result you have to be a little more conscientious about what else is going on in your life in order to be prepared on a moment’s notice to pitch.”
“That is part of the realization that maybe’s he’s had over the last few days. So to answer the question as succinctly as I can, ‘Yeah, it can be a problem.’ I don’t think it was in this case.”
However, he wasn’t exactly upset by the news, but not for a good reason in the slightest.
“Usually I get upset if a report is unexpected, so I guess the short answer is no.”
That basically is just explaining that this has become the norm for Harvey at this point. Once known for his spotlight in New York as an ace that also was a celebrity, Harvey has gotten himself into some trouble the last couple years.
Last year, he was suspended by the team on May 7 after skipping a game the previous night after partying until 4 a.m. the night before.
The thing that Alderson thinks Harvey needs to understand is that, because of his past, he is setting himself up for scrutiny when he acts out like this.
“It’s like a borderline pitch [for a batter]. In his case, it always gets called a strike. He probably learned something from it.”
His teammates are upset by it, though, at least according to one Mets player who remained anonymous.
“It’s just, what are you doing?”
With Harvey making a major adjustment in his career as he moves to the bullpen, the Mets will certainly hope he can figure it out.
While he struggles to move past his issues with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, the righty will have to find a way to make his focus solely on what he does on the field.
That hasn’t been pretty for the 29-year old this year, though, as he has a 0-2 record to go along with a 5.76 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 25 innings.





