I was holding off on this post to see whether or not Mets pitching prospect Matt Harvey would survive the first official round of spring training cuts. He didn’t. But that’s okay, and for those of you that were hoping to see at least another start from this unbelievably talented pitcher, take solace in the fact that he’ll be back and it could be sooner than you think.
Harvey went out with a bang yesterday as he dazzled onlookers who gathered to catch a glimpse of the Mets phenom in action. J.P. Ricciardi, Sandy Alderson and even Jeff Wilpon were all on hand to see Harvey blaze through a team of Mets Minor League hitters while lighting up the radar gun with speeds of 95-96 MPH.
When all was said and done, the Mets 2010 First Rounder struck out eight batters over five scoreless innings of work, thus ending his first big league camp with a resounding performance.
“I wasn’t trying to throw it as hard as I can,” Harvey said. “I was just trying to hit spots and work on my stuff, and it felt pretty good.”
It’s not clear what lies ahead for Matt Harvey just yet, but I’d expect him to start the season at Double-A Binghamton, with a quick promotion to Triple-A Buffalo if he dominates in the first month of the season.
Once Harvey gets to Buffalo, all eyes will be fixed on how he handles the best the International League has to offer. Continued dominance will only hasten his arrival to Citi Field where he will ultimately make his Major League debut at some point this season.
Harvey has already made quite an impression on everyone who has been lucky enough to see him or brave enough to stand in against him in the batters box. Perhaps there’s no more fitting a way to end this post, but to recant what future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones had to say after meekly grounding out on Harvey’s improved two-seamer last Friday. “Where did you get this guy?” Jones said. “He’s throwing bowling balls up there.”
Ohhh man, you just gotta love this game sometimes. 🙂
