New York Mets right-handed starter Matt Harvey made his first media appearance of the spring today in Port St. Lucie though he said he would not talk about free agency or his off-the-field problems last year.
The 28-year old went 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA, 1.694 WHIP, and 6.37 FIP in 92.2 innings last season. He also finished with 47 walks as compared to only 67 strikeouts in 2017.
Harvey never felt right last season coming off TOS surgery saying today, “I was pushing through nerve issues and trying to build muscle and it made things worse.”
Harvey underwent surgery to fix Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in July of 2016 and pitched in the minors last year in the second half to try and figure out his struggles. The return to the big leagues in September was brutal with a 11.28 ERA in the season’s final month.
It was the second straight rough season for the pitcher formerly known as the Dark Knight. He struggled to a 4.86 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 2016 when he threw only 92.2 innings.
Despite the two straight seasons of struggles Harvey is confident going into 2018, “This is the strongest my shoulder has felt maybe ever.”
On Tuesday, new Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland mentioned that he found a few mechanical issues with Harvey that he has hoped him bring back his success of 2013.
The Mets are certainly hopeful that Harvey is an answer to a starting rotation that is filled with question marks and Matt thinks he will be, “I’m still 28, 29 years old. There’s still a lot in the tank.”
